Having taken place on the 18th May, the Queen’s speech introduced new laws that will allow self-autonomous vehicles to be insured under normal policies in the UK.
How important is this announcement?
According to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the announcement is an important step in ultimately improving road safety and reducing congestion.
Hugh Boyes, the IET’s cyber security expert, said, “Driverless vehicles have huge potential to transform the UK’s transport network and are a great opportunity to test the technology so the UK can remain at the forefront of research and development,” and in response to the raised issue that the Government needs to introduce legislation to improve cyber security in autonomous vehicles, Boyes continued, “However, we must ensure that cyber security is carefully considered. It is not just about the threat of a car being hacked, it also relates to the overall security and safety of the vehicle’s operation.”
“For that reason it will be crucial that the Government introduces proper regulations for autonomous vehicles, which should include the need for a software MoT to be performed on a regular basis. This should help to assure the ongoing trustworthiness of the vehicle software and systems.”
As autonomous vehicles will be highly dependent on the software embedded within the vehicle itself, in order to ensure the software runs smoothly, annual software MoTs are vital.
Edited from press release by Jordan Platt
