Estonia's first traffic accident involving a remotely operated taxi has drawn attention to questions over liability as the country expands the use of teleoperated vehicles, ERR.ee, Estonia’s national broadcaster, reported on July 29.

Legal experts say Estonia's existing traffic legislation is sufficiently flexible to cover teleoperated vehicles, but acknowledge that wider deployment could expose regulatory gaps.

The crash has also highlighted broader questions over public readiness for increasingly automated transport, as road users receive little guidance on interacting with remotely operated or autonomous vehicles.

The collision, involving a Bliq taxi and another car, occurred on July 23 at an intersection in Tallinn. No injuries were reported.

Although a passenger was seated in the vehicle, it was being controlled remotely by an operator located about 15km away in Juri. Under Estonian law, the remote operator is legally regarded as the driver and bears full responsibility for the vehicle.

Police said the operator proceeded through an intersection after stopping at a red light, triggering the collision when a vehicle travelling in a bus lane was unable to see the taxi because its view was blocked by other traffic.

Bliq said the vehicle's systems functioned normally and attributed the incident to human error rather than a technical failure.

Remotely operated taxis have been operating in Tallinn for nearly a year, with fewer than 10 vehicles currently in service. Fully autonomous vehicles remain prohibited, and regulators require a safety driver to be present inside each remotely operated taxi, ERR.ee reported.