A guide to WP.29 Automated Lane Keeping System (ALKS)
This new UN regulation opens the way to SAE L3 systems of automation, where the driver can (under limited conditions) hand-over the driving task to the machine and engage in secondary tasks, but must be ready to regain control when notified.
As with any homologation, this only provides a minimum set of conditions. A number of limitations are worth highlighting:
Only allowed on roads where pedestrians and cyclists are prohibited and which, by design, are equipped with a physical separation that divides the traffic moving in opposite directions.
Operational speed is limited to 60 km/h maximum.
Consumer acceptance (and possible abuse) is going to be key to monitor, both for guiding the legislator in terms of next steps, and for the possibility of opening-up the operational conditions.