Transport Minister Regev announced that she has begun promoting legislation that would allow experiments to be performed on autonomous vehicles without a human driver, who is currently overseeing the process.

• Renault autonomous vehicle (illustration)

  Photo: 

  Bertrand LE

Transport Minister Miri Regev announced today (Wednesday) that she has begun promoting first-of-its-kind legislation that will allow experiments to be performed on autonomous vehicles without a driver. This is quite significant news because all the experiments currently conducted in Israel are performed when a control driver is driving a vehicle.

The legislation will allow a significant step up in terms of experiments and activities of leading technology companies in Israel, which will be able to perform advanced experiments and operate autonomous vehicles, without a driver. These vehicles will be used to transport passengers for a fee, using a widget.

Minister Regev noted that Israel is at the forefront of smart and autonomous transportation, and that the new legislation will place it among the world's leading countries in this field. "Legislation is another significant step that will enable more advanced experiments in the field of autonomous vehicles," she said. She further noted that "conducting the experiments is an essential step designed to enable in the future the expansion of public travel options in public or cooperative transport by autonomous vehicles."

The legislation will also expand the authority of the Minister of Transport, who will be able to determine the conditions under which experiments can be performed in an autonomous vehicle without a driver. It will encourage companies operating in the field of vehicles and smart transportation to establish and operate research and development centers, and will accelerate the economic activity of smart transportation.      

It was also agreed that within 90 days a professional team headed by the Director General of the Ministry of Transportation will formulate legislation that will allow permanent regulation of autonomous vehicles, and accelerate the driverless vehicle vision.