New York: Europe and the Arabs

The United Nations has announced a draft global regulation to facilitate the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles on public roads worldwide without human intervention.

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) said the proposal, adopted by its task force, establishes uniform safety provisions and a consistent methodology for validating vehicles equipped with autonomous driving systems, based on a robust safety study approach and strong research and development processes.

"The harmonized vehicle regulations developed by the Commission are essential to avoid fragmented national approaches, thereby maximizing economies of scale and supporting safety, market access, and innovation in the automotive industry," said Tatiana Mulchan, Executive Secretary of the ECE.

Features of the Global Regulation

The draft will be submitted to the Global Forum on Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations for adoption at its next session (June 23-26, 2026). The task force will finalize the technical provisions related to data collection for autonomous driving systems. If adopted by the Forum, the global regulation will enter into force immediately. The draft global regulation aims to meet the needs of diverse markets and promote innovation while ensuring the highest level of road safety. Among its features are:

Auditing and certification of the safety management system to ensure compliance with requirements.

Requirements for demonstrating the reliability of test environments and methods.

Manufacturers must prove that their autonomous driving system meets requirements and is free from unreasonable risks.

Monitoring and reporting during operation.

A data storage system for automated driving.