In November, as part of the King’s speech, King Charles III announced plans to introduce legislation, named the Automated Vehicles Bill, which was intended to establish a national legal framework for the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles in the UK. Today [20 May 2024], following reviews by the House of Lords, the bill received Royal Assent and has become law.
The new law is intended to put Great Britain at the forefront of self-driving technology regulation and unlock the potential of an industry estimated to be worth up to £42bn and create 38,000 more skilled jobs by 2035.
In a press release, the UK government suggested autonomous vehicles could be on British roads as soon as 2026.
Mark Harper, transport secretary, commented on the bill becoming law: “Britain stands at the threshold of an automotive revolution and this new law is a milestone moment for our self-driving industry, which has the potential to change the way we travel forever.
“While this doesn’t take away people’s ability to choose to drive themselves, our landmark legislation means self-driving vehicles can be rolled out on British roads as soon as 2026, in a real boost to both safety and our economy.”
The world-leading piece of legislation is more comprehensive in scope and clearer in requirements than any other jurisdiction has enacted, according to autonomous vehicle software company Oxa.
In response to the news, Paul Newman, CTO and co-founder of Oxa, said: “The immense work put in by the Department for Transport (DfT), Law Commissions and CCAV in crafting the Automated Vehicles Bill has helped it pass into law with the strongest cross-party backing.
“We now have autonomous vehicle (AV) legislation which is more comprehensive in scope and clearer in its requirements than in any other country.
“The Act gives the UK new momentum as developers like Oxa will need to comply with the world’s most comprehensive autonomous vehicle laws to deploy technology in vehicles here. Meeting the highest AV standards will make British companies global leaders with technology that is the safest and AI systems the most trusted – all key to building business and public trust in autonomy globally.”
Jonathan Fong, manager for general insurance policy, at Association of British Insurers, added: “We’re delighted the Automated Vehicles Bill will now receive Royal Assent – putting the UK on the road to being a world leader in AV technology.
“UK motor insurers have long been supporting the development of automated vehicles, including by actively insuring trials to allow the technology to evolve, and by supporting the creation and progress of this Bill at every step of the journey.
“While this Bill represents a significant step forward, further consideration is needed to address concerns around safety and cyber security. It’s critical that insurers have access to relevant data in order to support the adoption of this technology.
“We look forward to continuing to engage with government and other stakeholders on these issues so that we can all fully harness the exciting opportunities automated vehicles present.”
