UK Government to review laws in preparation for self-driving vehicles

Jesse Norman, the UK government’s road minister, has announced a three-year regulatory review to examine any legal obstacles to the widespread introduction of self-driving vehicles and highlight the need for regulatory reforms. It aims to ensure that the country remains a primary location to develop, test and drive these vehicles. The inquiry will be carried out by the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission. It is also part of the government’s Future of Mobility Grand Challe
March 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Jesse Norman, the UK government’s road minister, has announced a three-year regulatory review to examine any legal obstacles to the widespread introduction of self-driving vehicles and highlight the need for regulatory reforms. It aims to ensure that the country remains a primary location to develop, test and drive these vehicles.


The inquiry will be carried out by the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission. It is also part of the government’s Future of Mobility Grand Challenge.

The project will review who the driver or responsible person as well as how to allocate civil and criminal responsibility where there is some shared control in a human-machine interface. In addition, it will explore the role of automated vehicles within public transport networks and emerging platforms for on-demand passenger transport, car sharing and new business models providing mobility as a service. The scheme will also address whether there is a need for new criminal offences to deal with novel types of conduct and interference as well as the impact on other road users and how they can be protected from risk.

Norman said: "The UK is a world leader for self-driving vehicle research and development, and this work marks an important milestone in our continued commitment to the technology.

"With driving technology advancing at an unprecedented rate, it is important that our laws and regulations keep pace so that the UK can remain one of the world leaders in this field.

"The Law Commissions’ joint project will examine difficult areas of law in order to develop a regulatory framework that is ready for self-driving vehicles."

Related Content

  • Avoiding a tangle
    September 4, 2018
    The ITS industry will get into a ‘terrific mess’ if it doesn’t sort out the question of interoperability, says Georg Kapsch. He talks to Alan Dron about data, connectivity – and why governments should stay out of technology issues Governments should set a regulatory framework to help shape the direction of road technologies - but then stand aside and allow industry to create the necessary technologies, according to a European pioneer in the field. Georg Kapsch, CEO of Kapsch Group and Kapsch TrafficCom,
    Read More
  • Advanced Driver Assistance Systems: a solution or another problem?
    November 27, 2013
    Do Advanced Driver Assistance Systems represent a positive step forward for safety, or something of a safety risk? Jason Barnes discusses the issue with leading industry figures. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are already common. Anti-lock brakes or electronic stability control are well understood and are either fitted as standard or frequently requested by new vehicle buyers. More advanced ADAS features are appearing on many top-end vehicles and the trickle-down has already started. Adaptive
    Read More
  • Government publishes programme of upgrades to major roads and motorways
    June 30, 2017
    The UK government has unveiled a US$8 billion (£6.1 billion) programme of road improvements as part of its US$30 billion (£23 billion) upgrade to the road network in England.
    Read More
  • ITS (UK): tells Parliament MaaS app alone is not a magic bullet
    January 5, 2018
    ITS (UK)’s Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Interest Group has agreed with the Transport Select Committee’s MaaS inquiry in the global and UK interest in the concept, but it must provide a high quality and reliable service to get people to use it. They added that unless done right, it could risk moving people from public transport to on-demand cars. The inquiry focused on potential barriers to MaaS and the response sought to manage expectations. The group, led by representatives from Jacobs, Cubic and Aecom,
    Read More

Highlighted Content