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15 November 2018 / Nicholas Bevan
Issue: 7817 / Categories: Features , Insurance / reinsurance
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Driverless vehicles: a future perfect?

In the first part of a special series on road traffic accident reform, Nicholas Bevan reports on the challenges posed by automated vehicles

  • An overview of Part I of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, which is intended to fill the gap in civil liability law highlighted by the rise of automated vehicles such as driverless cars.

Part I of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 (AEVA 2018) represents the most radical reform to the regulatory framework of compulsory motor insurance for 88 years. It is intended to address a gap in our civil liability law made manifest by developments in vehicle automation. This government is keen to facilitate this technology that promises to transform our lives in the future.

In 2017, the chancellor of the exchequer stated that the government intended these reforms to get driverless cars on our roads by 2021; much depends upon what is meant by ‘driverless’.

Third-party motor insurance was made compulsory under the Road Traffic Act 1930. The objective was, and remains, to guarantee that motor accident

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Specialist associate solicitor rejoins Muckle’s leading employment team

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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