Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{198465,
        author = {Nisvanthi M and Swetha S and Divya P and Fastina S G and Kavya P V},
        title = {Autonomous Vehicles & Motor Vehicles Act 1988 : Need for Legislative Reform},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {11537-11549},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=198465},
        abstract = {The concept of driverless vehicles, also known as autonomous vehicles, is gradually being implemented in India in the form of pilot projects and technological experiments in various cities across the country. Nevertheless, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which regulates road transport and motor accident claims in India, is founded on the idea that every motor vehicle is driven by a human driver. As such, it presents significant legal challenges in the event of road accidents involving driver-less vehicles in the context of liability, insurance cover, and compensation to the victims. This research paper seeks to examine the adequacy of the provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 , as amended by the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, in regulating driver-less vehicles integrated with Artificial Intelligence . The research methodology employed in this paper is doctrinal in nature, which entails the analysis of the provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as amended by the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, as well as the principles established by the Indian courts in the context of motor accident claims. In addition, the paper seeks to highlight the inadequacy of the current legal framework in regulating driver-less vehicles integrated with Artificial Intelligence.},
        keywords = {Autonomous Vehicles - Compensation - Accident - Liability - Motor Vehicles Act - Legislative Reform.},
        month = {April},
        }