Laying down the law on autonomous vehicles

Law commissions advise that car manufacturers and software should be legally accountable for safety of automated vehicles on public roads

Legislation is needed to draw a clear distinction between genuine self-driving features and those that merely assist drivers, such as adaptive cruise control. This is a key recommendation in a joint report published by the Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission on legal reforms relating to the use of autonomous vehicles (AVs). The 292-page report builds upon feedback from hundreds of stakeholders, and the consultations received a total of 404 written responses.

The Law Commission is a...