Ministers: Self-Driving Car Makers, Not Drivers, Legally Liable for Crashes

Under rules announced in the King’s Speech, new legislation will give people immunity from prosecution when a self-driving vehicle is driving itself.
Ministers: Self-Driving Car Makers, Not Drivers, Legally Liable for Crashes
Undated image of a driverless car. Philip Toscano/PA
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Companies making and operating self-driving cars will be legally liable for any crashes under a framework for developing autonomous vehicles (AV), the government said.

Individuals will be protected from being unfairly held accountable when a self-driving vehicle is driving itself, “given it does not make sense to then hold the person sat behind the wheel,” the ministers have argued.

Evgenia Filimianova
Evgenia Filimianova
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Evgenia Filimianova is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in UK politics, parliamentary proceedings and socioeconomic issues.
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