This would include better reaction times, the ability to assess the surrounding environment and potential hazards, lawyers at Kennedys said, in response to the Law Commission’s third and final consultation on regulation of driverless vehicles.
They said reducing collisions was one of the perceived benefits of AVs therefore the standard should be safer than the average human. ‘This would include better reaction times, the ability to assess the surrounding environment and potential hazards and so on.’
They expressed concern about a proposal to give AV operators a set period of perhaps ten seconds in which to retake control in an emergency, and called for clear guidance on when liability switches between the driver and AV.
However, the Bar Council response suggested using the same legal standard as that applied to human drivers, as the courts have shown they can adapt that standard to circumstance.
