Self-driving cars to appear on UK roads under new rules confirmed in King's Speech

The legal framework to allow self-driving cars on Britain’s roads has been included in the King’s Speech.

King Charles III took to the House of Lords for the official opening of Parliament today (7 November).

The government's 'Automated Vehicles Bill' aims to develop technology in the UK, and Elon Musk will be pleased that his fleet of self-driving Teslas will soon be used to full capacity.

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In the US, they have supposedly benefitted from the loosening of self-driving technology restrictions, as the UK claims they are falling behind other countries.

Notably, the bill will aim to ensure there is clear legal liability over who or which organisation is responsible during crashes involving self-driving cars.

The government says this will stop users being held accountable in situations where that would not be fair.

Tara Foley, UK and Ireland chief executive of insurer Axa, which has been heavily involved in automated vehicle trials, said: “AXA welcomes the Government’s commitment to support this exciting technological advance that offers multiple benefits for the UK economy, road safety and green jobs.

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“As a large motor insurer, we have long been calling for this legislation to improve road safety.

“Introducing a regulatory framework for self-driving has huge potential to save lives.

“Research shows that 88% of road collisions involve an element of human error which would be eliminated with self-driving vehicles.

“There are also benefits for the wider economy. It’s estimated that the self-driving industry will be worth £42 billion and create up to 50,000 highly skilled jobs by 2035, and a legislative framework opens up opportunities for businesses to capitalise on this.

“For insurers, it also provides crucial clarity for establishing liability for self driving.”

Alex Kendall, co-founder and chief executive of self-driving technology company Wayve, also said: “Today’s announcement that the Government will bring forward legislation for self-driving signals to the global self-driving industry that the UK Government is committed to fostering innovation for the future of transport.

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“By setting out a clear path to commercialisation, new primary legislation for self-driving vehicles gives us the confidence to continue investing in R&D (research and development) and growing our talent base here in the UK.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Government to cement the UK’s role as a global centre of excellence for self-driving technology that will make our roads safer and unlock new growth.”

As well as new crime and housing regulation, the law to ban smoking in the UK was also confirmed in the King's Speech.

King Charles said that the Government would 'introduce legislation to create a smokefree generation by restricting the sale of tobacco … and restricting the sale and marketing of e-cigarettes to children'.

This will effectively raise the age of tobacco sale by one year every year, the government said, to prevent this and future generations from ever taking up smoking in the first place.