Consultation outcome

Self-driving vehicles: new safety ambition

• From: Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles
• Published: 19 August 2022
• Last updated: 9 May 2024 — See all updates

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Self-driving vehicles: new safety ambition – summary of responses and government response

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Detail of outcome

The Department for Transport will use the evidence provided in these responses to inform detailed development of the future legal and safety framework for self-driving vehicles.

As highlighted in Connected and automated mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles, primary legislation is required to provide new powers and create the new legal entities that form part of this framework. The Automated Vehicles Bill sets out the legislative framework including the new legal entities required.

Following the finalisation of this primary legislation, government will launch a series of consultations on the associated secondary legislation and statutory guidance, including on the proposed statement of safety principles for self-driving vehicles.

In the meantime, the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) is engaging stakeholders on the likely contents of the detail for secondary legislation and guidance, both through open forums and targeted engagement with specific groups.

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Original consultation

Summary

Seeks views on our proposed safety ambition for self-driving vehicles to form the foundation of a new self-driving vehicle safety framework.

This consultation ran from
9:30am on 19 August 2022 to 11:45pm on 14 October 2022

Consultation description

Consultation seeking views on our proposed safety ambition for self-driving vehicles.

Following a review of the law relating to self-driving vehicles, we are creating a new legal and safety framework for these vehicles.

We have set out our proposals in Connected and Automated Mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles in the UK.

We believe that self-driving vehicles should be held to the same high standard of behaviour as that expected of human drivers. Current law expects human drivers to be competent and careful. Self-driving vehicles should, therefore, be expected to achieve an equivalent level of safety to a competent and careful human driver. This is safer than the average human driver.

We are asking for your views on the approach that self-driving vehicles should be expected to achieve an equivalent level of safety to that of a competent and careful human driver.

Following this consultation, we will outline a final safety ambition that will provide the basis for more detailed safety requirements.

Published 19 August 2022
Last updated 9 May 2024 + show all updates

1. 9 May 2024

   Added the government response.

2. 19 August 2022

   First published.