Legislation on the use of autonomous and self-driving cars should be introduced if Ireland is to “avoid falling behind” its preparation for the future of motoring, AA Ireland has warned.
A survey by the Automobile Association found while half of respondents believe self-driving cars are not yet far enough advanced to handle Irish roads and weather conditions, almost a quarter would feel comfortable using the technology today.
Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs at the AA said there is a “major gap” in Irish legislation when it comes to self-driving cars.
“As with any emerging technology people of course are going to have concerns, but we know beyond doubt that motoring will, in the near-future, go predominantly electric before self-driving cars follow in the slightly more distant future,” said Mr Faughnan.
“That said, there are cars out there which have the ability to self-drive in certain situations or even self-park so the future of your car taking you all the way from Dublin to Cork without any intervention on the driver’s part is not as far away as people may believe.”
The motoring organisation believes there is a gap in current legislation with regards liability in the event of a self-driving car being involved in a collision or incident and whether any costs should be covered by the car owner or the manufacturer.
“Understandably motorists are concerned about the potential of having to cover damages through their insurance despite not technically operating the car,” Mr Faughnan added.
“Clarity and a definitive answer to the question of who is liable is needed and this can only be answered properly through updating and introducing new legislation.”
The survey, which involved over 5,000 people, found that over a quarter strongly agreed that where a self-driving car is involved with an accident, the car owner’s insurance should cover any costs.
Less than a quarter strongly believed that it would be unfair to punish the car owner in such circumstances and that the manufacturer of the self-driving car should instead be liable.
The deputy Central Bank governor Ed Sibley warned last month that the future of general insurance firms will depend on how they handle the advent of driverless cars and other technology developments.
Audi already offers a level of self-driving technology on its new flagship A8 luxury saloon and other brands are following suit. However, the technology cannot be deployed on public roads until changes are made to EU and national laws.
Volvo chief executive Hakan Samuelsson told The Irish Times earlier this year that when a car is operating autonomously, the liability will rest with the manufacturer.
“Either it’s a very normal car and you drive it, you’re responsible, or you are driven by the car and the liability will have to be on the car producer. We have to take that,” he said.
