Part 1: Regulatory scheme for automated vehicles Chapter 1: Authorisation of road vehicles for automated use Section 1: Basic concepts
Section 1 sets out the criteria to satisfy the "self-driving test". The self-driving test and other requirements must be met for a vehicle to be authorised for use in Great Britain so that legal responsibility for the behaviour of the vehicle will change. The test considers whether a ‘feature’ of the vehicle enables the vehicle to drive autonomously. To drive autonomously means the vehicle is not being controlled by an individual but by equipment, and without the need for an individual to control the vehicle or to monitor the vehicle or its surroundings in order to intervene in driving.
	A ‘feature’ refers to a specific operation that the vehicle can undertake. A vehicle may have more than one self-driving ‘feature’. For example, a vehicle may be able to drive itself on motorways using one ‘feature’ and in car parks using a separate ‘feature’. Section 7 sets out further detail on ‘authorised automation features’, including how to specify or describe them.
	Subsection (2) sets out the requirements for a vehicle to ‘satisfy the self-driving test’, which include the vehicle being able to drive safely and legally. Subsection (7) specifies that a vehicle drives safely if it travels to an acceptably safe standard. When assessing safety, the Secretary of State must have regard to the ‘statement of safety principles’, which are provided for in section 2 and which must be framed with a view to securing better road safety as a result of the use of automated vehicles. Subsection (7) also specifies that a vehicle drives legally if there is an acceptably low risk of committing a traffic infraction. The meaning of ‘committing a traffic infraction’ is set out in section 44(2), which is committed if a vehicle does anything that would – if it were done by an individual – amount to an offence or cause a person to become liable to a road traffic penalty charge. The Act makes provision for the driver to have an immunity for offences committed by the vehicle while a self-driving feature is engaged, with the authorised self-driving entity (ASDE) being subject to a range of specified civil sanctions.
	Subsection (3) states that assessment of whether a vehicle satisfies the self-driving test must take account of the location and circumstances of the vehicle. This is because a vehicle may be capable of driving itself (i.e. satisfying the self-driving test) only in some locations or circumstances. For example, a vehicle may only be able to drive itself on a motorway during daylight hours. Authorisation under section 3 is limited to the circumstances in which the self-driving test is satisfied.
	Subsection (4) states that a ‘feature’ is a combination of mechanical or electronic operations performed by the vehicle’s equipment. This might include, for example, a computer and its software which receives input from sensors, processes the input, and controls the vehicle’s steering, braking and other systems in order to perform the dynamic driving task. The equipment may be inside or outside the vehicle, for example in connected infrastructure.
	Subsection (5) sets out the meaning of travelling ‘autonomously’. It means that the vehicle is controlled by its equipment and not by an individual, and neither the vehicle nor its surroundings are being monitored by an individual with a view to immediate intervention of the driving of the vehicle. If an individual is required to monitor the vehicle and its surroundings with a view to intervening in the driving of the vehicle in order to ensure its safety or legality, it would not be considered capable of travelling autonomously.
	Subsection (6) clarifies the meaning of control and is self-explanatory. Subsection (7) is explained in paragraph 69 above.
	Subsection (8) requires the Secretary of State to have regard to the ‘statement of safety principles’ (provided for in section 2) when assessing a vehicle’s ability to travel safely and autonomously.