Input to a new legal instrument on safe automated driving

Background and purpose

Automated driving has the potential to revolutionize our way of traveling and significantly improve traffic safety. At the same time, the new technology may bring new safety challenges to road traffic. It is important to address these challenges to ensure a safe and successful introduction of automated vehicles into the transportation system.

Work is currently underway within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to develop a new Legal instrument on the use of Automated Vehicles in traffic (LIAV), which is expected to complement the 1949 and 1968 Conventions on Road Traffic. The legal instrument will include definitions and a set of legal provisions for the safe use of automated vehicles in traffic. These provisions will specifically aim to ensure road safety, in particular the safety of vulnerable road users. A Group of Experts (GoE on LIAV) has been established to propose a draft of the new legal instrument, and one of their tasks is to identify traffic safety challenges related to the use of automated vehicles, as the new legal instrument should address them.

The project "Input to a new legal instrument on the safe use of automated vehicles" (or "Input to LIAV") aims to provide research-based input to the ongoing international work. We will examine what safety issues (and possibly responsibilities) a future legal instrument needs to address for the safe operation of automated driving. This involves identifying, analyzing, and increasing knowledge about traffic safety challenges, legal consequences, and the need for regulations to ensure traffic safety in automated driving.

Effects

The project is expected to provide knowledge about minimum requirements that should be set in a new international legal framework for automated driving. It can offer valuable information on how automated driving can enhance safety in road traffic.