Switzerland regulates autonomous driving

In Switzerland, the Federal Council has passed an ordinance regulating automated driving that will come into force on March 1, 2025. The regulations mean that drivers will be allowed to use autopilot functions on freeways and for parking, while fully autonomated routes for pilot projects have been made clear.

From 2025, vehicles will be allowed to use autonomous driving functions on Swiss freeways. The regulation relates specifically to level 3 (“conditionally automated”) functions that temporarily take over lateral and longitudinal control while the driver must still remain ready to react and be able to take control again at the system’s request.

The Swiss parliament already paved the way for automated driving in the spring of 2023 by amending the Road Traffic Act (SVG). In this latest regulatory step, the Federal Council has cast the legal provisions into an ordinance. This has now been finalized and is due to come into force next spring.

The ordinance permits three applications. Firstly, the use of the aforementioned Level 3 highway pilot, which, when activated, allows drivers to let go of the steering wheel and no longer have to constantly monitor the traffic or the vehicle.

Secondly, automated parking without the driver being present will also be possible in the future within parking garages and parking spaces defined for this purpose.

And lastly, looking into the future, the use of driverless vehicles on officially approved routes is now also permitted. This use case is primarily the prerequisite for further pilot projects.

astra.admin.ch, 20min.ch (in German)