Driverless cars could hit UAE roads by 2021

Abu Dhabi - The UAE will be the first country in the world to have the standards and regulations for autonomous vehicles.

Driverless vehicles may hit the UAE roads by 2021 as the UAE is preparing to become the first country in the world to have regulations on autonomous vehicles, a top official has said.
"We will announce the first draft of the standards and regulations for autonomous vehicles on Tuesday during the 5th International Conference on Future Mobility to be held in Dubai," said Abdulla Al Maeeni, director-general of Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma).
The conference will discuss the draft, and if it is approved, the UAE will be the first country in the world to have the standards and regulations for autonomous vehicles, he said on the sidelines of the third UAE Government annual meetings in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE is expected to issue the final standards and regulations in 2020, and accordingly autonomous vehicles may enter the market within one year, he explained.
Apart from the Esma's regulations for autonomous vehicles, relevant authorities in related sectors such as insurance, finance, city administration etc. should also issue regulations in this regard, the official added.
The UAE was  the  first country that formulated standards and regulations for  hydrogen cell vehicles and electric cars in the region, Al Maeeni said.

• Abu Dhabi