South Africa will introduce new rules for self-driving cars

TThe Department of Transport plans to draw up rules on car self-government in South Africa as part of official policy. Presenting to parliament the work of its department and strategic plans, the department said it seeks to approve regulations on “autonomous vehicle technologies” over the next five years (until 2027).

This came after a presentation in parliament in March 2022, where the department showed that a study of regulations had been approved and submitted – but missed the 2021 internal deadline. He now expects to submit rules for comment by the end of the year.

The department said cars would move through the streets unattended by people, which solves several mobility problems for the country, including road safety, social inclusion, emissions and congestion.

“The government is adopting policies, legislation and strategies to reap the benefits of automated vehicles (AV) as well as minimizing risks and ill-considered consequences,” the department’s annual report said. “New policies, legislation and strategies should provide an enabling environment for testing and developing AV technologies.”

South Africa is not unique in its move to regulate drones, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is pushing for recognition in Europe of full self-government (FSD) if he can convince regulators.

In March, Musk admitted that Tesla still has a lot of work to do on special road situations before the automaker is ready to show FSD to European regulators. And even so, he expects them to be less tolerant than their American counterparts.

“In the US, everything is legal by default, and in Europe they are illegal by default,” Musk said. “We need to get approval in advance, while in the US you can do it on your own, more or less.”