Draft law enables autonomous driving in Germany

Germany’s federal government has approved a draft law allowing for autonomous cars to be driven on German streets, says Germany Trade & Invest, the federal economic development agency. Crucially within the law, responsibility for mishaps continued to rest firmly in the hands of the driver, but allows for the driver to hand control the vehicle to its own control system in certain situations and for certain periods of time. The draft law also stipulates that the driver must be able to instantly override or de
February 1, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Germany’s federal government has approved a draft law allowing for autonomous cars to be driven on German streets, says 5444 Germany Trade & Invest, the federal economic development agency. Crucially within the law, responsibility for mishaps continued to rest firmly in the hands of the driver, but allows for the driver to hand control the vehicle to its own control system in certain situations and for certain periods of time. The draft law also stipulates that the driver must be able to instantly override or deactivate the system at any time.

In addition, the law would require autonomously driving cars to carry a form of ‘black box’, which would record all driving data and be decisive in disputes over liability should the autonomous driving technology fail.

Germany is already preparing to make autonomous driving a reality. Sections of public highway have been approved as live testing zones, while the country has been active in R&D. The institute for the German Economy believes Germany has registered 58 per cent of all global patents in autonomous driving since 2010.
Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Connected vehicles - potential to transform US transportation
    April 12, 2013
    There’s a new face in the driving seat at the US Department of Transport’s ITS Joint Program Office. Fortunately, as Robin Meczes finds out, he’s no learner driver… Ask Kenneth Leonard why he wanted his new job as director of the ITS Joint Program Office, and his answer comes back without a second’s delay. “The potential to save lives, reduce injuries and help people enjoy a more efficient transportation system is the kind of challenge that makes me want to come to work each morning,” he says. “In my opinio
    Read More
  • Germany eyes national car tolls
    April 17, 2012
    Germany's conservative CSU party has said that it will issue a draft bill on a new road toll for cars in autumn 2011. It says that even if car taxes were lowered, extending the national tolling system from trucks to cars, would raise billions of euros over the next few years. However, Chancellor Angela Merkel is on record as saying that no tolls for cars will be introduced during the current legislative period.
    Read More
  • Amsterdam Group turn ITS theory into practice
    August 6, 2013
    ASECAP’s Marko Jandrisits discusses the Amsterdam Group’s efforts to bring a sense of order to cooperative ITS deployments. When an issue arises which is deemed to require a technological solution governments and public-sector agencies around the world all too often tread the same sorry path. A decision is made to research and develop said technology to the production-ready stage, the work is done and the technology realised but then the money for deployment runs out and the technology is left on the shelf
    Read More
  • Integrated corridor management aids multi-modal transport planning
    January 24, 2012
    Telvent’s Jorgen Pedersen and Tip Franklin discuss how integrated corridor management can create synergies within a multimodal transportation infrastructure, while promoting modal shift. The mantra ‘We cannot build ourselves out of congestion’ has long been stated and too often ignored. But with the economy in dire straits, funding deficits and pressure to reduce governmental spending, this is now being taken seriously by almost everyone who has an interest in the flow of traffic. By ‘everyone’ we include
    Read More

Highlighted Content