[WP.1 approved amendments to the 1968 Vienna Convention during its March session as described in paragraph 21 and the annex to the meeting report (see document WP.1/145). The amendments revise Article 8 and Article 39 of the agreement. Article 8 specifies that a driver must always be able to control his or her vehicle and the amendments declare the conditions under which autonomous and driver-assist systems would be considered in conformity with this stipulation.

Although approved by WP.1, the amendments will only enter into force at the end of the official notification and adoption process. This process involves a depositary notification of the amendments followed by a 12-month response period after which an announcement is made of the action (any contracting party disagreements, eventually adoption of the amendments). Once the adoption announcement is made, the amendments enter into force after a six-month waiting period.

So while the amendments were accepted by WP.1, their official adoption and entry into force will not come before mid-2016.]

WP.1’s secretariat reported that a draft revision of the Vienna Convention was adopted at the WP.1 meeting in March. To comply with the provisions of paragraph 5 of Article 8 and paragraph 1 of Article 13 which state that every driver shall at all times and in all circumstances be able to control his vehicle, the proposed revision added a supplemental provision regarding the conditions that should be met by the vehicle systems that affect driving. This draft revision is scheduled to be officially published after undergoing technical checks and voting by the Contracting Parties.