Germany's lower house has passed a bill that would allow for self-driving cars to hit the roads early next year, although progress is set to be relatively slow.
Self-driving buses such as this one (pictured; Estonia, 2017) could see use on German roads early next year. Credit: EU2017EE / Flickr
Lawmakers have passed legislation that will allow for automated driving under certain conditions. The bill was passed on May 20 and will commence by allowing for short trips in logistics vehicles or small buses.
This comes nearly a month after the UK government greenlit a similar scheme that will fit vehicles with sensors to allow for automatic braking and accelerating, theoretically allowing it to drive itself in certain traffic conditions.
Read more: UK government green lights self-driving cars
The legislation still required approval in the Bundestag's upper house before it will come into effect.
It comes as Germany looks to catch up to other major players in self-driving vehicle technology, which could stand to completely reshape the transport industry.
“This is the world’s first legal framework for autonomous driving in regular operation,” Ulrich Langer, the deputy of Angela Merkel's bloc said in a statement on Friday.
However, self-driving cars are currently incredibly expensive and complex and the biggest advances in the sector thus far are in China and the US.
Germany's bill specifically refers to "level 4" vehicles, where a computer can control a car with little or no direct human intervention.
The Transport ministry report that the bill has been designed to be flexible, with new regulations on standby which mandate a human driver must be on standby in the event of errors.
This may help limit the risks to other drivers on the road.
"Individual permits, exceptions and requirements — such as the presence of a safety assurance driver who is always ready to intervene — would not be necessary," the ministry said in a statement.
The bill will allow for driverless shuttle buses to be put into use as well as passenger buses that could travel along set routes.
There are also talks to allow them in the transport of goods, although experts predict it could be years before the electric vehicle market becomes competitive.
Read more: VW and Microsoft team up for self-driving cars
Supporters of driverless cars tend to do so because they believe it will lower the rate of fatal traffic collisions.
The London Department for Transport, for instance, says the technology minimises human error, which it claims is responsible for 85% of accidents.
However, any real data is unlikely to come forward until real-time testing is performed.
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