Automated Vehicles Bill: call for evidence

Aims of the Bill

The Bill was announced in the 2023 King’s Speech. The announcement said that the Bill would enable the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles and by doing so “unlock a transport revolution” by providing certainty and confidence and attracting investment to the UK motor industry. The accompanying notes to the speech said the Bill would:

• set the threshold for self-driving vehicles in law;
• hold companies firmly accountable once vehicles are on roads;
• investigate and learn from incidents;
• digitalise Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to create a central digital map of all roads;
• create new organisations responsible for self-driving;
• protect users from being unfairly held accountable; and
• clamp down on misleading marketing of ‘self-driving’ vehicles.

The Bill has 100 clauses divided into seven parts, and six schedules.

The Bill generally extends and applies to England, Wales and Scotland, with the exception of Clause 54(2) and Clause 93 which do not extend to Scotland.

Clause 54(2) creates a new offence of causing danger to road-users resulting in an automated vehicle killing or seriously injuring someone. This clause would extend and apply in England and Wales.

Clause 93, which requires local authorities to submit information on TROs, extends to England and Wales, but because local government is a devolved matter it would only have practical application in England.

The Bill also makes two consequential amendments extending to Northern Ireland, but otherwise does not extend beyond Great Britain.

Part 7 of the Bill would come into force on the day the Bill is passed. This part deals with general matters such as application, extent and the making of regulations. The rest of the Bill would come into force upon the Secretary of State for Transport making regulations by statutory instrument.

The Bill has 35 clauses which would grant regulation-making powers. The Government has produced a scoping note explaining how and when it intends to use these powers.

The Bill, together with its explanatory notes, impact assessment, delegated powers memorandum, and an overview of its parliamentary progress, are available on Parliament’s Automated Vehicles Bill webpage.

Follow the progress of the Automated Vehicles Bill [HL]

The Automated Vehicles Bill [HL] 2023-2024, Bill 167, was introduced in the Lords on 8 November 2023. It was introduced to the Commons on 20 February 2024 and will have its second reading on 5 March 2024.

• Bills before Parliament: Automated Vehicles Bill [HL]
• Read Explanatory Notes: Automated Vehicles Bill [HL]
• House of Commons Library Briefing Paper

There will be no oral evidence sessions.

Guidance on submitting written evidence

Deadline for written evidence submissions

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration and possibly reflect it in an amendment. The order in which amendments are taken in Committee will be available in due course under Selection of Amendments on the Bill documents pages. Once the Committee has dealt with an amendment it will not revisit it.

The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be on Tuesday 19 March and the Committee is scheduled to report by Thursday 18 April. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Thursday 18 April. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.

Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk

Further guidance on submitting written evidence can be found here (pdf, 1MB).

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