Important step
Who is responsible if an autonomous car causes an accident, the occupant or the manufacturer? That question remains unanswered in many countries, but in the United Kingdom a new ‘Automated Vehicles Bill’ makes it crystal clear.
The United Kingdom would like to take a leading role when it comes to autonomous driving and is putting its money where its mouth is with this new measure. It states, Reuters reports, that in the event of an accident involving an autonomous vehicle, it is not the ‘driver’ – who is therefore not a driver – but the manufacturer of the car or the self-driving systems. This is a very welcome step, because the lack of clarity about this is holding back many potential start-ups and therefore also slowing down the development of autonomous vehicles. In addition to these companies, insurers have also responded enthusiastically to the new step. After all, this is also extremely relevant for them.
The British can of course take this step independently, because they are no longer limited by EU membership. However, the rules within the EU are not the same when it comes to autonomous driving. Already available Level 3 systems, which allow the driver to do something different under certain circumstances, are permitted in Germany and not in other European countries. To date, the issue of responsibility appears to be considered on a case-by-case basis in continental Europe, especially due to a lack of data. The EU says that it already places a lot of responsibility on the manufacturer of a product, so in the event of a defect the responsibility naturally also lies there.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl