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

  • ITS events vital forum for networking, calls to action
    February 6, 2012
    Tom Kern, executive VP of ITS America, on why he believes events like the forthcoming ITS World Congress are so important for the industry
  • ITS events vital forum for networking, calls to action
    January 20, 2012
    Tom Kern, executive VP of ITS America, on why he believes events like the forthcoming ITS World Congress are so important for the industry. This October's World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems is coming home. Home to Orlando, that is. The first America's-based World Congress took place in Orlando in 1996 and now, 15 years later, the sixth Americas World Congress and 18th overall returns just in time to see how far Florida has come in the deployment of ITS technologies helping to make for safe, mob
  • Progress towards a pan-European cooperative infrastructure
    July 17, 2012
    Kallistratos Dionelis, General Secretary of ASECAP, makes the case for a lightly regulated, staged progression towards a pan-European cooperative infrastructure environment, the achievement of which should look to engender cooperation between the public and private sectors. Such an approach, he says, is the only real path to success.
  • Vodafone to bring 5G to UK CAM testbed
    October 22, 2020
    Telecoms giant says this offers 'extremely low' latency to Midlands Future Mobility route