The Automated Vehicles Bill has completed its passage through Parliament and received royal assent

In January 2022, the Law Commission published a joint report with the Scottish Law Commission with their recommendations for legal reform around automated vehicles and how they could safely and responsibly be introduced on GB roads and public places. The Automated Vehicles Bill was laid before Parliament and the Scottish Parliament.

On Monday 20 May 2024, the Government announced the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act received royal assent. This is based on the joint recommendations made by the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission.

The Government has said self-driving vehicles may be on roads by 2026. The law will require self-driving vehicles to achieve a level of safety at least as high as careful and competent human drivers, as well as meeting rigorous safety checks before being allowed onto roads. Meaning deaths and injuries from drink driving, speeding, tiredness and inattention could be drastically reduced in the future.

Further details on the project are available on the Automated Vehicles project page.