Motorists want ‘the right to drive’

More than 65 per cent of motorists want to retain the right to drive even though driverless cars are coming, according to new research released today by IAM RoadSmart – formerly the Institute of Advanced Motorists. IAM RoadSmart conducted an independent survey of 1,000 British motorists and a separate poll among its 92,000 members. Those 65 per cent of motorists believe that a human being should always be in control of the vehicle, with 53 per cent saying that the focus should be on making drivers safer – n
April 28, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

More than 65 per cent of motorists want to retain the right to drive even though driverless cars are coming, according to new research released today by IAM RoadSmart – formerly the 6187 Institute of Advanced Motorists.

IAM RoadSmart conducted an independent survey of 1,000 British motorists and a separate poll among its 92,000 members. Those 65 per cent of motorists believe that a human being should always be in control of the vehicle, with 53 per cent saying that the focus should be on making drivers safer – not just cars.

Members of IAM RoadSmart welcome the hi-tech advances which are improving vehicle safety, but want to maintain their control of a car – even though autonomous technology will be able to do it for them.

Sarah Sillars OBE, chief executive of IAM RoadSmart said: “Technological advances that make driving and riding safer for all road users have to be embraced whole-heartedly – but British motorists and our members, do want the right to drive.

“Intelligent cars will deliver a step change in road safety by targeting the human errors we make from time-to-time. At IAM RoadSmart we believe a well-trained driver and an ever-vigilant car is a win-win scenario for the future.

“This technology will also prove to be a major boost for business and keep UK PLC at the very edge of technological advance.

“The government is due to consult this summer on how the UK can lead the development of autonomous vehicles; we are ready, willing and able to participate fully in this discussion.

“One could see a time when motorists might be restricted to driving on designated roads – and possibly just for pleasure rather than for work or getting from A to B.”

Location Based Systems

Related Content

  • September 9, 2016
    UK drivers want to be insured against hackers
    According to a new survey of almost 1,200 people by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, 74 per cent of drivers think insurers should provide cover for damage caused by hackers accessing control systems in driverless cars. The results of this survey have been used to guide IAM RoadSmart’s response to the Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles’ consultation, Pathway to Driverless Cars.
    Read More
  • September 9, 2015
    IAM calls for urgent action on pedestrian road injuries
    The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has revealed that nearly 18,000 pedestrians were injured in an incident involving a vehicle in the last full year with analysis available. The charity is calling for an even greater focus on pedestrian protection to make cars safer and raise awareness of the risks. The figures come from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the IAM, Britain’s biggest independent road safety charity, asking for details of the most common pairs of contributory factors repo
    Read More
  • February 2, 2018
    IAMRoadSmart: Over a third of police use mobile safety camera vans
    More than a third of UK police forces used mobile safety camera vans to prosecute over 8,000 drivers for not wearing seatbelts and around 1,000 with a mobile phone in their hand in, according to IAM RoadSmart’s freedom of Information request in 2016. It was submitted to 44 police forces which revealed that 16 of them used pictures from the cameras in their vans to pursue these offences as a matter of routine while a further four did so occasionally.
    Read More
  • January 12, 2016
    Driver with 51 penalty points still allowed to drive
    Three drivers with more than 40 points on their driving licences are still allowed on the road, according to a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). The enquiry also found that 13 people in Britain currently have 28 or more points on their driving licence, the worst of those amassing 51 points. In addition, the numbers of drivers with 12 or more points has gone up by nine per cent in just seven months between March and October 2015 – from 6,884 to 7,517.
    Read More

Highlighted Content