Human drivers will not be liable for accidents related to autonomous vehicles
Autonomous vehicle accidents are still a grey area, but the UK prepares new legislation
In 2017 an autonomous Uber test vehicle killed a pedestrian and Uber faced no charges
The UK will spend over $160 million on autonomous vehicle programmes and research
Manufacturers operating self-driving vehicles in the UK will be liable, not the drivers
According to the country’s new strategy to achieve a wider rollout of self-driving vehicles by 2025, manufacturers running self-driving vehicles in the UK will be responsible for a vehicle’s activity when in autonomous mode.
The roadmap was presented by the British government, along with financial announcements totaling $119 million for autonomous vehicle projects and an extra $41 million for research to promote safety and new laws.
A human driver would not be liable for incidents linked to driving while the vehicle is in control, because manufacturers are responsible for the acts of self-driving vehicles. New legislation will build on existing rules and state this.
In a world where culpability in the event of autonomous vehicle accidents can still be a bit of a fuzzy area, this distinction may set a precedent. The human safety operator operating the autonomous Uber test vehicle that killed a pedestrian in 2017 was charged with negligent murder with a dangerous instrument. Uber was not prosecuted.
Additionally, the driver, not Tesla, was charged with two felonies for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence following a fatal collision in 2019 using a Tesla vehicle that was in autopilot.
Britain has started a consultation session on a ‘safety ambition’ for self-driving cars to be as safe as a human driver as the nation gets ready to establish new legislation pertaining to vehicles. The outcomes of the consultation would aid in developing the requirements for using autonomous vehicles on public roads, as well as any potential penalties for not meeting those requirements.
According to the authorities, drivers with valid driver’s licences may be able to purchase self-driving cars within the upcoming year. Despite being among the best-selling cars in the UK, Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), which includes a number of automated driving features, is not currently available to British drivers due to legal restrictions. New regulations may pave the way for vehicles with more advanced ADAS as well as ride-hailing, delivery, and public transportation.
