Users of self-driving cars should not be held responsible for motoring offences such as dangerous driving or speeding, according to legal experts.
A joint report by legal review bodies has called for law reforms which would mean the person in the driving seat of an automated vehicle would be immune from prosecution “if anything goes wrong”.
The Scottish Law Commission and the Law Commission of England and Wales say the company or body responsible for the technology should be held accountable instead.
The recommendations, published on Wednesday, also state that a clear distinction is required between features which assist drivers, such as adaptive cruise control, and vehicles which are self-driving.
David Bartos, Scottish Law Commissioner, said the report sets out “new laws for allowing automated vehicles on our roads, ensuring safety and accountability while encouraging innovation and development”.
Nicholas Paines QC, Public Law Commissioner, added that Britain has an "unprecedented opportunity to promote public acceptance of automated vehicles".
Fully driverless cars are not yet legally permitted in the UK, but autonomous features are being developed by car manufacturers.
In April last year the Department for Transport announced it would allow hands-free driving in vehicles with lane-keeping technology on congested motorways, at speeds of up to 37mph.
Under the law commissioners’ proposals, whoever is in the driving seat will continue to have responsibility for other duties such as obtaining insurance, checking loads and ensuring child passengers wear seat belts.
Transport minister Trudy Harrison said the development of self-driving vehicles in the UK "has the potential to revolutionise travel, making everyday journeys safer, easier and greener".
She continued: "This Government has been encouraging development and deployment of these technologies to understand their benefits.
"However, we must ensure we have the right regulations in place, based upon safety and accountability, in order to build public confidence."
Mike Hawes, chief executive of industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the recommendations of the Law Commissions will "put Britain in the vanguard of road safety and automotive technology, by providing a framework for the use of self-driving vehicles which could save thousands of lives".
He added: "The industry welcomes the introduction of authorised self-driving entities, which can be the vehicle manufacturer, software provider or fleet operator, as the system of multiple checks and balances will give drivers confidence in the latest technology to make their journeys safer."
AA president Edmund King said: "While many technological elements of automation or automatic lane keeping systems will bring safety benefits, we should not be encouraging drivers to take their hands off the wheel until these systems are regulated and fail-safe.
"The Law Commission is right to distinguish between driver-assistance features and self-driving, and to ensure driver assistance features aren't marketed as self-driving.
"What is less clear is when such technologies can be used on the road.
"Meanwhile, there still remains a large level of scepticism amongst the driving public who are unconvinced that fully autonomous cars can co-exist alongside human drivers."
Matthew Avery, chief research strategy officer at road safety organisation Thatcham Research, which contributed to a consultation for the report, warned that the transition to self-driving cars is "fraught with risk".
He said: "In the next 12 months, we're likely to see the first iterations of self-driving features on cars in the UK.
"It's significant that the Law Commission report highlights the driver's legal obligations and how they must understand that their vehicle is not yet fully self-driving."
It will be for the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments to decide whether they accept the report's recommendations.
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