MPs have opened an inquiry on self-driving vehicles to help ensure their safe use on UK roads.  

The Government is developing a full legal framework for self-driving vehicles

The inquiry by the Transport Select Committee will scrutinise the development and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles ahead of the potential arrival of self-driving tech from next year.  

The inquiry will consider the progress of research and work in the UK and abroad on self-driving cars and what needs to happen to prepare for their arrival. This includes regulation, perceptions of safety, the role of the Government, implications for infrastructure and for existing car use.   

The Government has said that it is “continuing to develop a full legal framework for self-driving vehicles”. This will include a full regulatory framework for widespread deployment of automated lane keeping system tech and is expected to be in place by 2025.   

In the meantime, revisions to the Highway Code will imminently go live after being laid before Parliament in April 2022. These will clarify drivers’ responsibilities – for example, drivers in fully autonomous cars will be able to watch television on built-in infotainment systems but will not be able to use their phones and will need to be able to take back control when required.  

Meanwhile, the Law Commission of England and Wales is seeking views on regulating remote driving on public roads. The new call for evidence builds on work started in 2018 alongside the Scottish Law Commission on the new legal framework to enable self-driving vehicles. The Commissions’ joint report with recommendations was published in January this year.   

The first approved autonomous technology is likely to be for vehicles travelling at slow speeds on motorways, such as in congested traffic, and could be on UK roads later this year. 

Announced in 2021 and designed for use on a motorway in slow traffic, the automated lane keeping system (ALKS) technology enables a vehicle to drive itself in a single lane, up to 37mph, while maintaining the ability to return control easily and safely to the driver when required.  

The Transport Select Committee inquiry on self-driving cars is open for written evidence until Monday 22 August 2022. To access it, click here.