A new safety framework is to be introduced that will ensure companies producing self-driving vehicles are responsible for how their cars behave on the road.

Every authorised self-driving vehicle will be given a corresponding ‘entity’ – often the manufacturer – which will be responsible for the car’s behaviour during operation. Companies will also have obligations to keep their vehicles safe and ensure that they continue to drive in accordance with UK laws. 

Over the last decade, progress has stalled on autonomous vehicles on both sides of the Atlantic, despite predictions that they would be commonplace by now. While the technology already exists for autonomous vehicles to drive relatively safely on UK roads, legislation has held it back from hitting the mainstream.

Some studies suggests that self-driving vehicles could help reduce deaths and injuries from drink driving, speeding and driver tiredness by up to 88 per cent due to removing human error as...