Vehicles equipped with self-driving systems will soon be allowed to be tested on public roads in Portugal. After a decree-law authorising tests with autonomous vehicles on Portuguese roads was approved by the Council of Ministers at the end of April, it was published in the Official Gazette (source in Portuguese) last Monday and will enter into force next July.
According to the legislation, autonomous driving will "help democratise mobility by promoting the inclusion of citizens who are unable to drive because of physical or other constraints".
At the same time, it will "enable new and different solutions for individual and collective mobility, helping to optimise the vehicle fleet and reduce the inefficiencies inherent in the current mobility model based on privately owned, individually used vehicles", the government believes.
In practice, the decree establishes the legal framework for public roads to be used for testing autonomous driving technology, subject to a licence and compliance with a set of technical, operational and safety requirements.
The trials will be carried out by research laboratories, higher education institutions and companies in the automotive, infrastructure and transport sectors.
