UAVs in the Law: The Legal Regulation of Autonomous Vehicles

The introduction of UAVs on all types of transport and the creation of a “smart” transport infrastructure are currently a common global trend. 2021 saw the approval of three strategic initiatives for the introduction of unmanned vehicles, involving science, tech start-ups, public corporations and private business (“lighthouse projects”). To test the use of UAVs on all types of transport, the state uses “regulatory sandboxes” – experimental legal regimes (ELRs). This approach enables UAVs to start being tested and operated without waiting for a large number of regulations to be drafted and passed. Participants in this session will discuss key issues of the legal regulation of all types of highly automated vehicles: experience from the ELRs that have been put in place, and the need to adjust existing ELRs and launch new ELRs to regulate the movement of UAVs.