Are you concerned with the safety of self-driving cars?

Watching TV to be allowed in self-driving cars in Highway Code update

Under proposed changes to the Highway Code users of self-driving cars will not be responsible for crashes.

The Government will update the Highway Code to clarify drivers’ responsibilities in self-driving vehicles.

Insurance companies rather than individuals will be liable for claims in those circumstances, the Department for Transport said (DfT).

The update to the Code will make it clear that motorists must be ready to take back control of vehicles when needed.

The DfT also intends to allow drivers to watch television programmes and films on built-in screens while using self-driving cars.

It will still be illegal to use a phone behind the wheel.

These measures – which follow a public consultation – were described as an interim measure by the Government to support the early deployment of self-driving vehicles and a full regulatory framework is expected to be in place by 2025.

There are no vehicles approved for self-driving on Britain’s roads, but the first could be given the go-ahead this year.

The DfT announced in April 2021 it would allow hands-free driving in vehicles with lane-keeping technology on congested motorways.

Transport minister Trudy Harrison said updating to the Highway Code will be a “major milestone in our safe introduction of self-driving vehicles”, which she claimed will “revolutionise the way we travel, making our future journeys greener, safer and more reliable”.

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said driverless cars “promise a future where death and injury on our roads are cut significantly” but there is likely to be a “long period of transition” while drivers retain “much of the responsibility for what happens”.

He stressed the importance of changes to regulations being communicated to drivers.

Are you worried about the invention of self-driving cars? Do you think safety could be compromised? Are you concerned that the DfT is prepared to allow drivers to watch television in a self-driving car?