The UK government has announced a new consultation as part of plans to bring driverless cars to the country’s roads, which could see the Highway Code redrawn.
Cars with advanced driver assist features would be permitted to change lanes on the motorway and self-park under the proposed changes to the Highway Code.
The consultation has been launched so that all drivers can have their say on the government’s Pathway to Driverless Cars proposals, which will also see rules changed so that automated vehicles can be insured in future.
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Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Driverless car technology will revolutionise the way we travel and deliver better journeys.
“Britain is leading the way but I want everyone to have the chance to have a say on how we embrace and use these technologies.
“Our roads are already some of the safest in the world and increasing advanced driver assist and driverless technologies have the potential to help cut the number of accidents further.”
Changes to the Highway Code and insurance legislation would make up part of the government’s Modern Transport Bill.
Proposed amendments to insurance legislation centre around the concept of drivers being able to claim money back from the manufacturers of automated driving systems, if the systems are found to be at fault for a crash.
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The government aims to complete a full review of legislation related to driverless cars by summer 2017, with the newly launched consultation set to continue for nine weeks.
Self-driving cars aren’t expected to arrive on UK roads until at least the mid-2020s, but cars with advanced driver assistance features, like remote control parking and motorway assist, are expected to be on sale in Britain in the next two to four years.
Although there’s a way to go until fully autonomous cars arrive on UK roads, today’s consultation is the first major step towards reforming UK legislation ahead of the advent of driverless vehicles.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
