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

  • South Australian Transport Minister gets to grips with UK driverless initiatives
    August 19, 2016
    South Australian Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Stephen Mullighan MP, has shown his support for the UK’s driverless initiatives during a visit to the Transport Research Laboratory’s (TRL’s) UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich. The visit was arranged to enable the South Australian Minister to learn more about UK innovations in connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). The Minister was given presentations on several UK CAV projects, including GATEway, MOVE_UK and Atlas, followed by a live demon
  • Prime Minister’s ‘roads revolution’ good news for industry
    November 11, 2014
    Responding to the UK Prime Minister’s announcement which outlined a ‘roads revolution,’ the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has said that plans to deliver roads improvements across the country are good news for the freight and logistics industry. David Cameron stated that plans for the biggest road building programme for almost half a century will be unveiled in next month's Autumn Statement and would contain a US$24 billion overhaul of 100 of Britain's busiest roads and motorways by the end of the
  • More than half of UK’s new cars sold with autonomous safety tech
    April 4, 2016
    Self driving cars may seem years away, but more than 1.5 million UK motorists a year now leave showrooms in cars featuring self-activating safety systems, according to analysis revealed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

    Data from SMMT and JATO Dynamics shows that more than half of new cars registered in 2015 were fitted with safety-enhancing collision warning systems, with other technologies such as adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and blind spot monitoring also surging in popularity.
  • Confusing funding and financing can be costly
    September 23, 2014
    Tolling may be the way forward for paying for the roads of the future - but where will concessionaires find the money and do they need funding or financing? Increasingly, governments around the world are concluding that they can no longer pay for new roads and are turning to the private sector for help.