There is no need to introduce extra legislation, as there must always be a driver behind the wheel who is responsible for the vehicle.

Within the next few months, drivers of newer Tesla electric cars in Estonia will be able to install a self-driving software update.

"It is still a driver-assistance system, where the driver is responsible for the vehicle's entire driving behavior and safety and must take over the vehicle when necessary," explained Jürgo Vahtra, head of the Vehicle Technical Department at the Transport Administration.

"At the same time, Tesla itself monitors whether the driver is engaging in unrelated activities or looking elsewhere. If not, it alerts that the driver is not paying attention to traffic. Therefore, this does not really affect current laws, because ultimately the driver remains responsible," he added.

Geenius editor-in-chief Kuldar Kullasepp took a test drive in a self-driving car in Finland and said it handled all conditions perfectly and that, at times, the drive was even boring.

"There are about eight cameras in the car that continuously send images to a computer. The computer constructs a picture of the world around it and then makes its decisions based on the experience it has gained from millions and millions of kilometers of driving. So it should be safer, it is certainly smoother, meaning there is no nervous road user," Kullasepp described.

Pavel Nikolajev, whose family owns two Teslas, is eagerly awaiting the software update. He said it could help improve Estonia's driving culture.

"When the car drives itself, it looks everywhere around it, and maybe they will also drive a little more slowly and properly, and then other cars will observe that and take it as an example," Nikolajev told Saturday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" evening news show.

Self-driving vehicles are also a challenge for lawmakers.

"With machines like these, data protection is certainly an issue as well, because these cars collect a great deal of data while moving, and what happens to that data — whether it is stored, retained, and for how long — is an aspect that needs to be thought through," said Marcus Niin, attorney-at-law at Sorainen.

"And certainly also from the perspective of motor insurance. For example, today our entire insurance system is based on a person's fault, but in a situation where the driver is not actually driving or there is no driver in the car at all, who is then responsible?" he asked.

Niin is convinced that the future will bring a reduced role for drivers and an increase in fully automated software-based driving. Therefore, Estonia could already begin preparing its laws for that transition.

More than 2,000 Teslas are registered in Estonia. Kullasepp estimates that between 400 to 500 of them will likely begin using the self-driving system.

"I personally think it is very convenient on long trips. By our standards, a drive to Tartu or Otepää is enough that you start feeling tired toward the end. If you use the self-driving function there, it will probably create the conditions for you to remain fairly alert and well-rested until the end of the journey. Another place where I see it being useful is city traffic and rush-hour traffic," he said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!