Self-driving cars: Companies, not users, should be held responsible if autonomous vehicles crash, watchdog suggests | UK news

[ad_1]

Legal observers have suggested that people in a self-driving car should not be held liable if it crashes.

The Law Commission of England and Wales, and the Scottish Legal Commission, want to offer legal protection to owners of self-driving cars if something goes wrong with the automation.

This can include accidents such as speeding or running a red light.

Photo: Self-driving cars are illegal in the UK

However, the commissions said everyone in the driver’s seat should still be responsible for things like insurance and children wearing seat belts.

revolution in travel

Regulators want the organization or company that has been granted permission for the technology to be responsible for aspects of driving self-driving cars.

Britain’s public law commissioner, Nicholas Pines, said Britain had an “unprecedented opportunity to boost public acceptance of motorized vehicles”.

Scottish Legal Commissioner David Bartos said the proposals focused on “ensuring safety and accountability while encouraging innovation and development”.

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said the introduction and development of self-driving vehicles in the UK “has the potential to revolutionize travel, making daily journeys safer, easier and greener”.

She continued, “This government has been encouraging the development and dissemination of these technologies to understand their benefits.

“However, we must ensure that we have the right regulations in place, based on safety and accountability, in order to build public confidence.”

Read more: Are self-driving cars coming to British roads?

The transition to self-driving vehicles is ‘risky’

Fully self-driving cars are not yet legal on UK roads, although some vehicles with autonomous features are in development.

In April 2021, the Department of Transportation announced that hands-free driving will be allowed in vehicles equipped with lane-keeping technology on busy highways at speeds of up to 37 mph.

Matthew Avery, chief research strategy officer at Thatcham Road Safety Research, which consulted the report, warned that the transition to self-driving vehicles is “risky.”

He said: “In the next 12 months we will likely see the first iterations of self-driving features on cars in the UK.

:: Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here

“It is important that the Legal Committee’s report highlights the legal obligations of the driver and how they should understand that their car is not yet fully self-driving.”

The governments of the United Kingdom, Wales and Scotland can decide whether they want to implement the committees’ advice.

[ad_2]