International Standards for Automated Vehicles: How Does This Impact Real Estate?

Many years ago, we addressed the issue of Driverless Vehicles (DV), Self-Driving, Autonomous, Driverless Vehicles: Here They Come! Levine, Mark Lee and Segev, Libbi Levine, “Impact of Driverless Vehicles on Real Estate: Ethical and Legal Issues,” 47, #1 Real Estate Issues 1, CRE-Counselors, Jan 30, 2022).

Sometimes discussed under the name of Automated Driving Systems (ADS), Self-Driven Vehicle (SDV), or similar names denoting a vehicle that was controlled by other than a driver in the vehicle. Recently, we added to this research with another article, viz., Levine, Mark Lee and Segev, Libbi Levine, “Driverless Vehicles -– with Artificial Intelligence: How Are They Impacting Real Estate? It appears that this area of technology is developing very quickly as of the last few years. This Article adds to this discussion,

For example, the control may be by computers or other controls that direct the vehicle. (For purposes of this discussion, we use the label “DV” when referring to these vehicles that are directed by a source other than a driver at the steering wheel. “A self-driving car, also known as an autonomous car (AC), driverless car, robotaxi, robotic car or robo-car, is a car that is capable of operating with reduced or no human input.”)

Within the USA, there have been DV standards issued by states by one recent report, about half of the US states have regulations as to DV. More are developing such rules. Tesla and Waymo executives defend the safety of self-driving cars before Senate committee - CBS News and the Federal government-- via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), among others. Of course, other countries have also issued rules or standards for DV. Some of these standards, guidelines, and/or rules have addressed the DV requirements within the given country.

What is so unique as to these recent standards is the source for the standards, viz. the United Nations (UN). The UN has seen fit to promulgate a set of DV standards that will impact DV in numerous countries throughout the world.

The UN, under UNECE (Europe) “The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was set up in 1947 by ECOSOC. It is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations. Mission | UNECE, via its DV group labeled as WP.29, created its global vehicle regulations and standards. As of June of 2026, the WP.29 adopted a framework on a global basis for ADS.

Many countries have agreed to follow the rules and standards developed under WP.29. The US is involved with WP.29 under a non-binding agreement. The US has

reserved its position toadopt its own rules. This does not mean the US will not follow the UN position for DV under WP.29 standards. However, the US has been using a self-certification system as to its standards for DV, which is different than the recently issued UN standards.

The ability to deploy DV faster in the US under the current US position means that US can move more quickly on types of DV. If the US chooses to adopt many of the standards promulgated under WP.29, and support Federal standards for DV, such position would seem to accelerate the benefits of DV and the placement of the same in society much more quickly than the current state by state, piece-meal approach to trying to regulate DV. With the additional advent of AI, look to see DV coming on even stronger in the US—and the world.

(For more details on this subject and an article on the same, see the Levine Newsletter coming out next month.)”