Prior to the recent dissolution of Parliament the Automated Vehicles Act (AVA) received Royal Assent. While it will have no immediate impact, the UK Government anticipate the first driverless cars will be on the roads in 2026.

The law places emphasis on the vehicles being up to date. This means that the owner of any automated vehicle has to make sure that the vehicle has the latest software update installed in the vehicle.

Another interesting point is with cyber security. Policies have already started including provisions with respect to automated vehicles. There is concern that vehicles could be open to attack from hackers and, if this causes an accident, then this could cause rise to further litigation with respect to policies and who should be liable to deal with any claims as a result of a cyber attack.

It may take several years for us to establish the position in this regard but it's certainly something to look out for.