Skip to main content

UK government launches consultation on automated vehicles

The UK government has launched a major consultation to help pave the way for automated cars to be used on British roads, with all drivers invited to have their say. Under the proposed measures, rules will be changed so automated vehicles can be insured for use on the roads. In addition, the Highway Code and regulations are to be altered so advanced driver assistance systems that change lanes on the motorway and park the vehicle by remote control can be used safely. Separately, the government will n
July 18, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The UK government has launched a major consultation to help pave the way for automated cars to be used on British roads, with all drivers invited to have their say.

Under the proposed measures, rules will be changed so automated vehicles can be insured for use on the roads.

In addition, the Highway Code and regulations are to be altered so advanced driver assistance systems that change lanes on the motorway and park the vehicle by remote control can be used safely.

Separately, the government will next month launch a competition for a further US$39.7 million (£30 million) from the Intelligent Mobility Fund, for research and development of innovative connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.

This builds on the first US$26.5 million (£20 million) awarded to a number of projects in February and ensures the UK is able to take advantage of the latest technological developments in driverless cars research. An additional US$25 million (£19 million) fund is also paving the way for driverless car projects in Greenwich, Bristol, and a joint project in Milton Keynes and Coventry.

Cars with advanced driver assistance features, like remote control parking and motorway assist, are expected to be on sale in Britain in the next two to four years with automated and driverless vehicles expected on the roads any time from the mid-2020s onwards.

Related Content

  • April 20, 2022
    UK plans changes to AV Code
    Drivers can view content 'not related to driving' - but mobile phone use still illegal
  • December 9, 2014
    UK Autodrive consortium to develop driverless cars
    An Arup-led consortium, UK Autodrive, has won the UK Government’s US$15.6 million ‘Introducing Driverless Cars’ competition. Other members of the consortium are Milton Keynes Council, Coventry Council, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford Motor Company, Tata Motors European Technical Centre, RDM Group, MIRA, Oxbotica, AXA, international law firm Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co, the Transport Systems Catapult, the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and the Open University. The aim of the project is to establis
  • February 5, 2016
    UK government funds connected vehicle development with a Flourish
    The UK government has selected the Flourish consortium as a winner of its multi-million pound research grant to fuel development in user-centric autonomous vehicle technology and connected transport systems. The new programme, co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, will focus on the core themes of connectivity, autonomy and customer interaction. The three-year project, led by Atkins and worth US$8 million, seeks to develop products and services that maximise the benefits of connected and
  • April 5, 2017
    Autonomous vehicle takes to the road in UK
    An autonomous shuttle is to take to the road as part of the UK GATEway Project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) research into public acceptance of, and attitudes towards, driverless vehicles. In the latest phase of the GATEway Project a prototype shuttle will begin driverless navigation of a 2km route around the Greenwich Peninsula, using advanced sensors and state-of-the-art autonomy software to detect and avoid obstacles whilst carrying members of the public participating in the research stu