UAE to introduce regulations for self-driving vehicles

The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology has announced that it will draft rules for the country's future of autonomous driving

Welcome to the future – the 10-seater smart driverless car tested by the Roads and Transport Authority, in Business Bay, Dubai. Courtesy RTA.

Requirements for self-driving vehicles and safety in the UAE are to be drafted by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.

Abdulla Almaeeni, Esma's director general, said on Saturday that the regulations will be applied at federal level.

"These standards will meet the government’s plans within the national agenda and enhance the UAE's competitiveness globally," he said. "Esma is focusing on providing the highest safety standards in modern transport vehicles that match the latest technologies and innovation in terms of self-driving vehicles and communication between them and the surrounding environment."

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No details of the requirements were given but the project will be presented during the Future Vehicles World 2017 organised by Esma in Dubai in November.

Esma has formed a team of partners, including the Federal Authority for Land and Maritime Transport, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Dubai Police and Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority, among others, to participate in the draft.