Committee publication · Correspondence · 24 June 2026
Letter from the Minister for Roads and Buses, Department for Transport relating to the Statement of Safety Principles, dated 17 June 2026
From: Transport Committee
Summary
The Minister for Roads and Buses updates the Transport Committee on government progress implementing the Automated Vehicles Act 2024. The Department for Transport has analysed responses to a Call for Evidence on the Statement of Safety Principles (SoSP) and is launching a statutory consultation on the draft SoSP until September 2026. The SoSP will guide authorisation of self-driving vehicles and annual fleet performance evaluation, with the full regulatory framework expected by late 2027.
Key findings
- Government publishing analysis of Call for Evidence responses on the Statement of Safety Principles, a core component of the AV Act 2024 implementation programme.
- Statutory consultation on draft SoSP launched, open until September 2026, targeting road user organisations, safety groups, and self-driving vehicle businesses.
- Safety standard requires AVs to achieve safety equivalent to careful and competent human drivers, consistent with UN Economic Commission for Europe regulations.
- Draft principles cover five themes: vehicle control, hazard anticipation and perception, obeying traffic rules, interaction with other users, and adaptability to road conditions.
- Full regulatory framework expected by second half of 2027; SoSP applies across England, Scotland, and Wales as a reserved matter under the AV Act 2024.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Simon Lightwood MP, Department for Transport, Transport Select Committee, Secretary of State, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Notable line
“AVs should achieve a level of safety equivalent to at least that of careful and competent human drivers.”
Key Quotes
“The AV Act 2024 established a world-leading legislative framework, setting out clear legal responsibilities, a robust safety framework and the regulatory powers necessary to support deployment while protecting the public.”
“Consistent with international United Nations Economic Commission for Europe regulations, the safety standard underpinning the SoSP is that AVs should achieve a level of safety equivalent to at least that of careful and competent human drivers.”
“The full regulatory framework is expected to be in place by the second half of”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗