Autonomous Vehicle Market Hijacked by Legislation and Liability Issues

image
26 Sep 2014

​“Legislation and liability issues and uncertainties are expected to remain the main obstacles for autonomous vehicles becoming widely adopted in the next decade. Current autonomous vehicle legislation is fragmented, with rulemaking often passed on a local, less competent level due to the lack of national or international guidance, for example from NHTSA (U.S.) or the EU. However, the recently amended UN convention on Road Traffic is a notable exception, though the condition the driver should at all times be able to override or switch off autonomous features precludes fully driverless vehicles,” says VP and practice director Dominique Bonte.

In the United States, California is leading the way not only having approved legislation for testing but also preparing rules for commercially operating autonomous vehicles on public roads. Isolated initiatives in other regions such as Sweden and Japan are largely related to projects from national car brands Volvo and Nissan. However, governments in countries such as the United Kingdom and Singapore are actively promoting autonomous driving as a key future intelligent transportation technology.

Closely linked with the lack of legislation, the uncertainty surrounding liability keeps many car OEMs from aggressively pushing autonomous technology, many of which are already heavily involved in recall related liability cases, fearing autonomous driving will further shift liability from the driver to the car maker. The role of governments will be critical, especially for proposing and regulating liability limiting and/or sharing mechanisms, including taking on some of the liability themselves, especially where cooperative V2X systems are involved, in order to reduce legal exposure of the industry which threatens to stifle innovation.

While the emergence of autonomous vehicle technology is very visible and dramatic, it is just one example of the more general automation trend in the wider IoT across a large number of industries including energy, transportation, healthcare, telecommunications (SONs), aviation, smart buildings and the military sector which will face similar legislation and liability questions. It represents a huge challenge and opportunity for both public law makers and private legal practices.

ABI Research’s Autonomous Driving Legislation and Liability report is part of ABI Research’s Automotive Safety and Autonomous Driving Market Researchwhich covers OEM and aftermarket telematics, infotainment and connected car solutions, ADAS, active safety and autonomous vehicles.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology solution providers and end-market companies. We serve as the bridge that seamlessly connects these two segments by providing exclusive research and expert guidance to drive successful technology implementations and deliver strategies proven to attract and retain customers.

ABI Research 是一家全球性的技术情报公司,拥有得天独厚的优势,充当终端市场公司和技术解决方案提供商之间的桥梁,通过提供独家研究和专业性指导,推动成功的技术实施和提供经证明可吸引和留住客户的战略,无缝连接这两大主体。

For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact ABI Research

Media Contacts

Americas: +1.516.624.2542
Europe: +44.(0).203.326.0142
Asia: +65 6950.5670

Related Service