EU Takes Major Step Towards Allowing Self-Driving Cars on its Roads

The European Union is taking a major step towards allowing automated and self-driving vehicles on its roads. New technical rules are being developed to ensure that these vehicles are technologically advanced and safe before they can be sold on the market. The EU’s focus is on automated vehicles that replace drivers on motorways and level-four automation, which allows a vehicle to perform all driving functions under certain conditions while still allowing the driver to take control if necessary. The new regulations will cover testing procedures, cybersecurity requirements, data recording rules, safety performance monitoring, and incident report requirements.

Currently, only Germany, France, and the UK allow national type approval for L3 and higher automation for vehicles, but the new EU type approval system is on the horizon. It's a big deal as it will be the first technical legislation that enables member countries to approve the sale and registration of up to 1,500 vehicles per carmaker model each year, equipped with advanced self-driving tech. While the initial sales limit is set to 1,500, it's good to know that this limit will be reviewed after two years. These regulations are part of new vehicle safety rules that came into effect in the EU recently, which includes mandatory systems to improve road safety such as emergency stop signals, speed assistant systems, and reversing detection with cameras or sensors. The rules will be expanded to cover other types of road vehicles until 2029.

The EU’s aim is to ensure that the use of these vehicles improves people's daily lives while providing a predictable and safe framework for the automotive industry to introduce innovative solutions and maintain its global competitiveness. The EU believes that this technology will reduce casualties on the roads, and its rules will allow autonomous and driverless vehicles to be introduced safely in the EU, placing safety at the center.

Self-driving vehicle technology has advanced significantly, and regulators are preparing for their arrival. In the UK, for instance, the government revealed planned changes to its highway code to pave the way for fully self-driving cars to hit the roads in the second half of 2021. Tech company Sensible 4 has also been putting its self-driving software to the test in Europe, where it has launched a transport service north of the Arctic Circle, testing the tech’s capabilities under challenging weather conditions.