You can now drive hands-free in France but only if you meet the many conditions as the long road towards autonomous driving unwinds.

On Thursday, France authorised “level 3” autonomous driving. What this means is that the driver can hand over control to the vehicle but must be ready to drive when needed.

Level 3 autonomous driving has been authorised in Europe since July this year but the bloc and France have added certain rules.

The big difference with level 3 is that the driver is no longer responsible for driving. Instead, it is the car manufacturer who is liable in the event of an accident.

Another important aspect of the move in France is that the road the cars drive on must have a central separator from other roads and must be closed to pedestrians and cyclists.

Additionally, the maximum speed will be 60km/h but that will increase to 130km/h as France adopts the United Nations regulations.