Responding to the publication of Connected and Automated Mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles, the new report from the UK government, global law firm Clyde & Co has welcomed the report as a positive step forward. However, the firm has warned that timescales detailed in the report are ‘just about realistic’ and that the legislation needed to put autonomous vehicles on the UK’s roads will be ‘heavy’.
Alistair Kinley, Clyde & Co’s Director of Policy and Government Affairs, said: “This report is good news. It demonstrates that the UK government has reached two key conclusions. First, the Law Commission’s guidance on how to build a new, safety-focused, legal framework for autonomous vehicles should be adopted. Second, handled effectively, the introduction of autonomous vehicles onto Britain’s roads by 2025 would be a major technological win for the country.
“On liability and insurance specifically, the report endorses the need for a clear bright line test between human driver control and true self-driving. The successful introduction of autonomous vehicles will bring technological innovations and environmental benefits. Reading the huge detail in this report of the various work streams and action points, it’s clear the government’s goal is for the UK to be at the forefront of this work globally.
“But it’s not going to be plain sailing. The timescales contained in the report are just about realistic and the legislation will need to encompass insurance, data sharing, and privacy in addition to all the technical aspects. It’s going to be a heavy piece of legislation. The government is aiming to implement all of this in full during 2024–25, although we could see automated lane-keeping systems (ALKS) being authorised for motorway use with the next year. We also anticipate significant consultation about the necessary secondary legislation.”
According to Clyde & Co, Connected & Automated Mobility 2025 adopts the Law Commission’s careful and considered recommendations for a new legal and regulatory framework allowing for the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles. It confirms that enabling and high-level legislation will – as expected and as outlined in the Queen’s Speech in May –be introduced in this Parliament.
The report also confirms that the government will consult further on retaining and sharing data with insurers for claims investigations and work with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau on a solution for uninsured self-driving. It will also engage more widely to understand how product liability law might need to be updated.
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