The UK government has promised to fully review the nation’s motoring legislation in the summer of 2017 to accommodate driverless cars.
The Department of Transport today revealed it would be necessary to change both the Highway Code and the MOT test as a result of burgeoning driverless tech.
A code of practice will be unveiled this spring that will outline rules and regulations for the testing of autonomous vehicles in the UK.
It’s part of the government’s nascent effort to become a ‘world leader’ in driverless automotive technology.
The review of legislation will examine whether driverless cars should be held to a high standard of driving than us people folk.
Responsibility and insurance matters will also be examined in the context of collisions and accidents, as well as determining how to ensure safety of both drivers and pedestrians.
Claire Perry, the UK’s transport minister, said: “Driverless vehicle technology has the potential to be a real game-changer on the UK’s roads, altering the face of motoring in the most fundamental of ways and delivering major benefits for road safety, social inclusion, emissions, and congestion.”
Related: Driverless Cars: Everything you need to know
Back in December, the government announced that autonomous car trials would be taking place in four cities across the UK, namely Milton Keynes, Coventry, Bristol, and London’s Greenwich.
It’s part of a £19m scheme funded by the UK’s technology strategy board Innovate UK, and is set to run over the next few years.
At the time, lead technologist at Innovate UK, Nick Jones, said: “Cars that drive themselves would represent the most significant transformation in road travel since the introduction of the internal combustion engine and at Innovate UK, we want to help the UK lead the world in making that happen.”