Under the new framework, responsibility for traffic offences committed by autonomous vehicles is clearly outlined.
Dubai: Saudi Arabia has introduced a comprehensive legal framework for autonomous vehicles, establishing clear liability rules and operational standards as the Kingdom moves towards the wider deployment of self-driving technology.
The amendments to the traffic regulations, approved by Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, mark one of the region’s most significant regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing the legal, safety, and operational challenges associated with rapidly evolving autonomous vehicle systems.
The new framework clarifies accountability in cases involving traffic violations and accidents, while setting out the requirements governing the operation of self-driving vehicles on Saudi roads. The measures are intended to support innovation in smart mobility while ensuring public safety and legal certainty for manufacturers, operators, and road users.
Published in the official gazette Umm Al Qura, the new provisions clearly define the responsibilities of vehicle owners and operators while updating existing traffic regulations to accommodate vehicles capable of making driving decisions without human intervention.
Under the updated framework, the owners of fully autonomous vehicles will be legally responsible for ensuring compliance with traffic regulations, placing accountability on the registered owner when the vehicle operates without the need for human intervention.
For partially autonomous vehicles that require a degree of human supervision, responsibility will continue to rest with the driver. In such cases, the driver must remain attentive and comply with all applicable traffic laws while the vehicle is in operation.
The regulations also introduce new administrative requirements for autonomous vehicles. Owners seeking to remove a self-driving vehicle from official traffic records must obtain prior approval from the relevant authorities before deregistration is completed, a measure intended to ensure that all technical and regulatory obligations have been fully met.
Saudi authorities have further clarified that standard driver-authorisation requirements will not apply to vehicles capable of operating entirely without human control.
The amendments extend existing traffic obligations to autonomous vehicles, including compliance with road signs, traffic signals, right-of-way rules, and procedures related to emergency vehicles and official convoys.
Penalties for traffic violations, accidents, and other offences will also apply under the revised framework, including fines, vehicle impoundment, and other sanctions stipulated under Saudi law.
The changes are intended to support the safe deployment of increasingly advanced mobility technologies while ensuring that the legal framework keeps pace with rapid innovation.
The General Directorate of Traffic stated that the framework has been designed to accommodate autonomous vehicles operating at different levels of automation, including systems capable of navigating and making driving decisions independently.
Self-driving vehicles use a combination of artificial intelligence, cameras, radar, and laser-based sensing technologies to monitor road conditions, interpret their surroundings, and navigate with little or no human input.
