Driverless vehicles on British roads are no longer a distant reality

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (AV Act) received Royal Assent on 20^th May 2024, paving the way for future laws allowing the use of fully automated vehicles on British roads.

The AV Act provides the framework to enable the use of advanced vehicle technology, with the Government expecting that self-driving vehicles could be permitted on public roads from 2026, improving both road safety and the economy.

The Act provides a framework of general requirements, as such, it is expected that the Secretary of State will introduce additional regulations over the next couple of years to establish specific requirements for:

• authorising the use of automated features; and
• licencing the operation of automated vehicles.

The Act is extensive, considering both occupied and unoccupied vehicles, as well as the use of automated vehicles for passenger services, introducing terms such as:

• ‘user-in-charge’ referring to a person in a vehicle driving in an automated mode, who has the power to control it manually; and
• ‘licenced no-user-in-charge operator’ referring to a person licensed to oversee journeys completed by automated vehicles.

Improving road safety is a huge part of the rationale behind the use of automated vehicles. Government data reveals that there were over 330,000 road traffic accidents on British roads in 2022, resulting in 1711 fatalities and over 135,000 casualties.

The Occupational Road Safety Alliance estimates that 94% of road traffic accidents are caused by human error, so the use of technology to minimise human error could significantly reduce the level of harm posed by vehicles.

The use of automated features under the AC Act will only be authorised where they are tested, and approved, as meeting safety requirements and perform to a level equivalent to that of a careful and competent driver.

Vehicles form an integral part of the British economy, it’s estimated that there are over 41 million licensed vehicles on roads across the UK, of which 5 million are commercial vehicles. Factoring in the millions of people that also use their own vehicles to commute, or as work vehicles (grey fleet), in addition to the use of public road transport and taxis, the impact of automated vehicles over the next decade could be a true inflection point for road transport.

The use of automated vehicles also presents potential environmental benefits through journey optimisation and efficiency, reducing traffic congestion and minimising traffic jams following driver-error accidents. Alongside the movement towards less polluting vehicles, the environmental and public health benefits of a transition to the use of automated vehicles could be significant.

Previously a distant reality, we have seen vehicle manufacturers take huge steps over the past decade in introducing driver assistance and automation features in vehicles, which will support the transition to fully automated vehicles. The EU has already introduced requirements for advanced vehicle safety features such as intelligent speed assistance, emergency braking systems which detect other vehicles and road users, and emergency lane-keeping systems.

Whilst the AV Act is a very significant step towards the widespread use of automated vehicles, it will require a multitude of additional regulations to be introduced before we see truly driverless vehicles on roads. The Government has confirmed consultations on the use of automated vehicles will be held throughout 2024 and 2025, however it remains to be seen whether this is impacted by the 2024 UK General Election and future Government commitments.

You can view the entry for the AC Act on the Legislation Update Service here, we will be including updates on consultations and regulations published in support of the Act over the foreseeable future on LUS and recommend keeping an eye out for developments.

Alternatively, non-subscribers can view the full legislation here.