Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Paragraph: 79
Connected vehicles pose new complex challenges for safety, data access, and legal liability.
Conclusion
Connected vehicles pose new dangers, which the law must evolve to meet. A safety- led culture will require wide access to data, and this must be a higher priority than commercial confidentiality. Ensuring self-driving vehicles are roadworthy will be more complicated than for conventional vehicles, not least because there is more that can go wrong. Legal liability also becomes more complex as it is shared between owner and operator. The Government explained broadly how its new regulatory regime will work but accepted that more thinking was needed about how this will work in practice.
Government Response Summary
The government notes the committee's conclusions and is addressing the challenges through the recently announced Automated Vehicles Bill, which clarifies legal liability and provides a framework for detailed safety and data sharing requirements. Specific requirements will be set out in secondary legislation and developed within the CAVPASS safety assurance programme, with ongoing collaboration with the insurance industry.
Paragraph Reference:
79
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government has noted this recommendation. The Government recognises the need to make progress on issues of unresolved policy. Based on the Law Commissions’ review of the law, and extensive consultation on their proposals, the recently announced Automated Vehicles Bill provides further clarity in many of these areas. It sets out an approach to legal liability for self-driving vehicles, with liability whilst a vehicle drives itself being transferred to new legal entities once a vehicle has been authorised. The Bill also provides a framework for detailed safety requirements and conditions. These requirements, set as part of the authorisation process, can cover ongoing requirements around data sharing and vehicle roadworthiness. Specific requirements will be set out in secondary legislation and will be subject to public consultation. Safety requirements are being developed within the Government’s CAVPASS safety assurance programme. The Government is working closely with industry, in particular Government funded trials of self-driving vehicles, to identify issues that require further consideration and/or support. Other parts of the CAVPASS programme are considering data and roadworthiness issues. Access to data will be an important part of the safety assurance of self-driving vehicles, and the Automated Vehicles Bill makes provision for information to be shared for the purposes of safety regulation. In support of this, the Government is working across Departments and in conjunction with stakeholders, including manufacturers, telecom operators and enforcement agencies, to map out data availability and requirements. This work will also consider the right to personal privacy in line with GDPR guidelines enshrined in the Data Protection Act 2018. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 extended compulsory motor insurance to self-driving vehicles. The insurance industry have been supportive of self-driving vehicles and the forthcoming Automated Vehicles Bill. The Government continues to work with the insurance industry, including the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI), to consider and address issues relating to the insurance of self-driving vehicles. Although the Government is able to address many of the issues relating to self-driving vehicles at a national level, it also takes a leading role in international discussions under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety (WP1) and World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP29) to ensure consistent approaches to regulation of self-driving vehicles. This international work supports the industry’s desire for international harmonisation of vehicle standards and regulation of self-driving vehicles, which in turn supports UK business opportunities overseas.