Policy development Part 1 and Schedules 1 and 2: Establishing a regulatory scheme for automated vehicles Chapter 1: Authorisation of road vehicles for automated use
Chapter 1 sets out the basic concepts and safety expectations, and establishes a regulatory scheme for a vehicle to be authorised in Great Britain as "self-driving".
	For conventional vehicles it is the responsibility of the driver to follow the rules of the road. So, even when using driver assistance systems, the driver must always monitor the driving of the vehicle and be ready to intervene. Chapter 1 sets out the "self-driving test" which identifies, in law, those systems (known as "features") that are sufficiently technologically advanced that there does not need to be an individual in the driving seat monitoring the road and behaviour of the vehicle. Legal responsibility for self-driving vehicles shifts away from the human user of the vehicle.
	Authorisation is the process by which the Secretary of State will determine whether a vehicle meets the self-driving test and other regulatory requirements. Authorisation considers whether a vehicle can safely and legally drive itself without the need for monitoring or control by an individual.
	Each authorised automated vehicle must have an authorised self-driving entity (ASDE) who is responsible for the way that the vehicle drives and for meeting other regulatory obligations. The identity of the ASDE for each authorised automated vehicle will be published on a register. The ASDE must appoint a nominated manager who is responsible for providing information that regulators require The ASDE may be subject to regulatory sanctions if an automated vehicle commits a traffic infraction or if regulatory requirements have not been met.
	The Law Commissions also recommended that the Secretary of State for Transport be required in law to publish safety principles against which the safety of automated vehicles can be measured. The Act refers to this standard as a ‘Statement of Safety Principles’ (see section 2) and requires the Secretary of State to consult on and define the Safety Principles in a statement laid before Parliament. The Safety Principles set out the safety expectations for self-driving vehicles and the Secretary of State is required to have regard to the Safety Principles in their assessment during the authorisation process of whether a vehicle meets the self-driving test under section 1. The power to authorise cannot be exercised until the Statement of Safety Principles has effect.