The UK government has introduced new laws designed to ensure the safe roll out of self-driving vehicles, as detailed in the King’s Speech earlier this week.

The government claims the Automated Vehicles (AV) Bill will deliver one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks for self-driving vehicles anywhere in the world.

Estimates suggest that the industry is worth around £42 billion and could create around 38,000 jobs in the UK.

The government says that the new law will ensure clear liability for the user, set the safety threshold for legal self-driving, and establish an in-use regulatory scheme to monitor the ongoing safety of these vehicles.

Under the bill, all self-driving vehicles will be required to undergo robust safety testing before they are permitted to drive on UK roads. Every authorised self-driving vehicle will have a corresponding Authorised Self-Driving Entity, such as the manufacturer, which will be responsible for the behaviour of the vehicle when self-driving.

The government said that the laws will prevent “misleading market practices” including ambiguous terminology in advertising material and this would be a criminal offence.

“Our new bill ensures safety is at the heart of our plans to see self-driving vehicles on our roads, making the UK a great place to develop this technology,” said transport secretary Mark Harper. “We have the opportunity to put the UK at the forefront of a fast-growing, multi-billion-pound industry by providing the clarity and certainty for business to develop and invest in this exciting technology.”

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