The Government is considering changing the law on remote driving, where a person outside a vehicle uses wireless connectivity to control a vehicle on a public road.
Under current road traffic law, there is technically no legal requirement for a driver to be within the vehicle. Nor are there any rules which completely prevent remote driving.
However, there are certain regulations, such as the requirement for drivers to have “proper control” of a vehicle and a “full view of the road and traffic ahead”, that make it effectively impossible.
The Law Commission has been asked by the Government to consider the law and regulation of remote driving.
In June, the Commission published its initial findings on the subject, outlining how the technology is already commonly used in controlled environments such as warehouses, farms and mines.
The report also considers the ‘many safety challenges’, including:
- Connectivity: how can a reliable connection be ensured between the remote driver and vehicle, and how can safety risks be mitigated if connectivity is lost?
- Situational awareness: how can drivers remain aware of their surroundings through a screen without (for example) the “feel” of acceleration?
- Keeping remote drivers alert: how can the risk of fatigue, motion sickness and distraction be overcome?
- Cybersecurity: how can unauthorised takeover of vehicles be prevented?
The report presents both short-term options for legal reform (which do not need primary legislation) and longer-term options for introducing a new regulatory framework.
These were put out for public consultation, which closed at the start of September.
The Law Commission will now consider the responses and plans to publish its advice regarding reform options for remote driving to the UK Government in early 2023.
Comment on this story