Self-driving cars clear another hurdle on way to approval in Israel

Cross-ministerial team reviews legality of autonomous vehicle use in Israel, advising to keep current law as is, also proposing potentially requiring insurance for firms running driverless systems
Yoel Schwartz|
The era of fully autonomous vehicles isn't quite here yet, and in some parts of the world, they're facing setbacks that occasionally send progress into reverse. However, the autonomous direction is clear, albeit taking much longer than previously anticipated.
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To pave the way for the future, a joint team from the Justice Ministry and the Capital Market Authority, Insurance, and Savings has begun to regulate the legality of driverless vehicle use in Israel. This includes transitioning from a stage where human drivers are present in the vehicles to an advanced stage of experimental driverless trips.
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באדיבות מהפכני הרחוב הבטוח בסן פרנסיסקו: רכב אוטונומי סופר-משוכלל יוצא מכלל פעולה כשמניחים על מכסה המנוע שלו קונוס תנועה. אישה נוסעת במכונית אוטונומית
באדיבות מהפכני הרחוב הבטוח בסן פרנסיסקו: רכב אוטונומי סופר-משוכלל יוצא מכלל פעולה כשמניחים על מכסה המנוע שלו קונוס תנועה. אישה נוסעת במכונית אוטונומית
Self-driving vehicles
(Photo: Shutterstock)
The team examined various aspects of liability laws and insurance regulations related to road accidents, comparing similar moves made in Japan, Germany, the UK, the European Union and the U.S., and assessed their applicability to Israeli law.
They also raised several unresolved issues, such as cyberattacks, consumer privacy protection and consumer protection laws, recommending decisions on these matters be made after the experimental stages and when more data becomes available to draw concrete conclusions from.
At this stage, the team argues that existing laws are sufficient to encompass the experimental stages of autonomous vehicles. Therefore, they recommend leaving them as they are, considering adding insurance requirements for companies operating autonomous vehicle fleets.
In the next stage, when self-driving cars become more common and more data is collected, the team recommends a reassessment of fundamental principles in liability and insurance laws.
Rarely do we see technology outpacing regulation, yet that seems to be the case in Israel regarding autonomous vehicles. Despite being a startup nation with a fair share of automotive development centers, we've been slow to regulate the matter. However, with the slow progress, regulation appears to be advancing abreast technology.
Now, it remains to be seen how these recommendations will be translated into laws and regulations and whether they will successfully cover all relevant areas.
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