Cars, as we know them, have been the very foundation of our transport system for the last hundred years, but all of that has recently been changing.
With 1.3 million road traffic deaths per year worldwide, it is hoped that driverless vehicles improve road safety and transform lives by eliminating human error. The UK government expect to have self-driving vehicles as soon as 2026.
There are many features built into our cars which we now take for granted; such as – parking sensors, cruise control, sensors on our windscreen wipers to detect rain and adaptive cruise control to name just a few. These are all part of driver assist technologies and are the first small steps on the road to full autonomy.
The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 received Royal assent on the 19th July 2018. This has now been followed by the Automated Vehicles Act 2024.
This new Act is a complex piece of legislation which seeks to set the regulatory framework to enable the next generation of transport technology to be invented, designed, produced and used in the UK. It covers self-driving authorisation, vehicle use without user-in charge, legal position of user-in charge, offences, permits for automated passenger services and incident investigation.
Certain driving offences have a benchmark expectation of a ‘careful and competent driver’ where drivers then fall below, or far below, that reasonable expectation. This law will expect self-driving vehicles to have a level of safety that is at least the equivalent of careful and competent human drivers.
As well as car manufacturers and the UK Government investing in autonomous vehicle design, Google parent company announced a further $2.5bn funding into selfdriving technology. The UK industry is estimated to be worth £42 billion and will create 38,000 additional skilled jobs by 2035.
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