Using mobile phones whilst driving will still be illegal
You could soon find yourself watching TV whilst riding in your self-driving car according to new updates to the Highway Code which are due to come into play later this year.
However, before you kick back and start planning a Netflix playlist for your next long-haul road trip, there are a few rules that accompany these changes. Newly proposed updates will require that drivers remain ready to take back control of their vehicle whenever prompted and will only apply when driving in single-lanes at slow speeds, like on motorways or in congested traffic.
As it stands, self-driving cars are not yet allowed on UK roads however these new tweaks to the Highway Code – due to be implemented later this summer – would apply to the first batch of automated cars that could be ready to use by drivers later this year, according to reports from the Department of Transport.
Using your mobile device whilst driving will remain illegal under the new updates.
As reported by the BBC, these changes were devised following a public consultation and designed to be used as an “interim measure” to help ease the adoption of self-driving vehicles amongst UK drivers.
A full batch of legislation surrounding these new vehicles is expected by 2025 and it is believed that it will assert that drivers won’t be held responsible for crashes that happen under their watch – instead, placing insurance companies in the blame-driving seat over individuals.
This new driverless technology allows a vehicle to self-drive in a single lane and only up to speeds of 37mph (60kmph) – and under new guidance, drivers must be ready to regain control of their car when required, like when you’re nearing a motorway exit.
The introduction of hands-free driving on UK roads – and this new update to the Highway Code – has already been praised as a potential “major milestone in our safe introduction of self-driving vehicles”, according to Transport Minister Trudy Harrison.
She added that it would “revolutionise the way we travel, making our future journeys greener, safer and more reliable”, with DfT reports suggesting that the manufacturing of new driverless vehicles could create around 38,000 new jobs and add an additional £48.7bn to the UK economy by 2035.
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