UK Users of Self-Driving Cars Won’t Be Liable for Claims in the Event of Crashes

Currently, there are no cars approved for self-driving on roads in Britain, but the first such vehicles could get the go-ahead from the government later this year.

The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) has stated that users of self-driving cars will be allowed to watch TV behind the wheel and they won’t bear any responsibility if their vehicles are involved in collisions, under proposed updates to the Highway Code.

According to the code, in the event of an accident, insurance companies rather than individuals will be liable for claims.

The regulations also stipulate that it will still be illegal to use a mobile phone behind the wheel and that motorists must be ready to take back control of self-driving vehicles if necessary. TV and films will be available for the drivers via the autonomous cars’ built-in screens.

British Transport Minister Trudy Harrison told reporters on Wednesday that updating the Highway Code would be a "major milestone” in the country’s “safe introduction of self-driving vehicles”, which will “revolutionise the way we travel, making our future journeys greener, safer and more reliable”.

“This exciting technology is developing at pace right here in Great Britain and we're ensuring we have strong foundations in place for drivers when it takes to our roads. In doing so, we can help improve travel for all while boosting economic growth across the nation and securing Britain's place as a global science superpower,” Harrison emphasised.

She was partly echoed by Steve Gooding, director of a motoring research charity, the RAC Foundation, who touted driverless cars as something that promises “a future where death and injury on” UK roads “are cut significantly”.

At the same time, Gooding warned that there is likely to be a “long period of transition”, in which drivers could retain “much of the responsibility for what happens”.

The DfT, in turn, estimated earlier this year that the development of self-driving vehicles may create about 38,000 new jobs in Britain and is expected to be worth £41.7 ($54.3 billion) to the UK economy by 2035. Last year, the ministry announced that hands-free driving in vehicles with lane-keeping technology would be allowed on congested motorways at speeds of up to 37 miles (59 kilometres) per hour.