The Road Vehicle (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2018

New regulations have come into force to allow remote control car parking.

Remote control parking allows drivers to park their cars using a key fob or Smartphone app, and can be particularly useful for those with reduced mobility.

Regulation 110 of The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 prohibits a person from using a hand-held mobile telephone or hand-held interactive communication device while driving a motor vehicle. Previously this included such devices being used for remote control parking and could lead to authorities prosecuting people in contravention.

The Road Vehicle (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 has introduced an exemption when the device is being used to perform a remote control parking manoeuvre. The device or app must be legal and meet the following conditions:

• there is continuous activation of the remote control application of the telephone or device by the driver;
• the signal between the motor vehicle and the telephone or the motor vehicle and the device is maintained; and
• the distance between the motor vehicle and the telephone or the motor vehicle and the device, as appropriate, is not more than 6 metres.

These regulatory changes should help facilitate the introduction of innovative new technologies in a safe, agile and evidence-based manner for the benefit of UK consumers and businesses.

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