No need for safety drivers in AVs, says UK government

The UK government has signalled that it is ready to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) with no driver to be tested on public roads. It is already committed to having fully self-driving vehicles on UK roads by 2021. At present, operators are legally required to test AVs only when “a driver is present, in or out of the vehicle, who is ready, able, and willing to resume control of the vehicle”. But the Department for Transport (DfT)’s updated code of practice on trialling AVs on public roads - as opposed t
February 7, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

The UK government has signalled that it is ready to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) with no driver to be tested on public roads.

It is already committed to having fully self-driving vehicles on UK roads by 2021. At present, operators are legally required to test AVs only when “a driver is present, in or out of the vehicle, who is ready, able, and willing to resume control of the vehicle”.

But the 1837 Department for Transport (DfT)’s updated %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external code of practice false https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trialling-automated-vehicle-technologies-in-public false false%> on trialling AVs on public roads -  as opposed to test tracks - makes clear that this will no longer be a requirement in some circumstances.

However, any new process will be subject to “rigorous safety assessments”.

“The government is aware of the growing desire to conduct more advanced trials on public roads,” it reads. “Such trials may currently be outside of the law and may require support and facilitation from the DfT to proceed.”

“The government is supporting the safe, transparent trialling of this pioneering technology, which could transform the way we travel,” said Jesse Norman, future of mobility minister.

The DfT has now pledged to ‘develop and operate’ a process to support advanced trials on public roads for organisations which are ready to conduct such trials. Companies should contact DfT’s Centre for Connected & AVs (C/AVs) “as far in advance as possible”.

The UK’s market for C/AVs is estimated to be worth £52 billion by 2035.

Networking & Communication Systems

Related Content

  • August 2, 2018
    UK government gets future mobility challenge underway
    The UK government has unveiled plans under its Future of Mobility Grand Challenge which could change how people, goods and services move around the country. These initiatives have been outlined in the Last Mile and Future of mobility call for evidence, which provide an insight into how technology could make transport safer, more accessible and greener. Under the plans, electric cargo bikes, vans, quadricycles and micro vehicles could replace vans in UK cities as part of a strategy to change last-mile
    Read More
  • January 25, 2019
    Rapidly-changing mobility environment is challenging policymakers, says UK DfT
    Policy makers are working hard to make sense of a rapidly-changing mobility environment, according to a senior official from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT). Ella Taylor, DfT’s head, future of mobility, Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C/AV), says the pace of development in transportation modes, such as e-scooters (not currently allowed in the UK) and e-bikes (which are), presents difficulties for governments trying to create standards and laws. “Across the globe, different modes
    Read More
  • November 6, 2018
    Uber seeks to resume AV trials nearly eight months after Arizona fatality
    Uber wants to resume testing its self-driving cars on public roads nearly eight months after one of its autonomous vehicles (AV) killed a pedestrian in Arizona. The ride-hailing company has released a voluntary safety report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which includes safety enhancements to help prevent crashes and fatalities. Uber says its AVs would include two mission specialists – employees who have completed advanced training courses in self-driving vehicle operations. The
    Read More
  • March 8, 2019
    London Science Museum hosts free driverless vehicle exhibition
    Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are at the heart of a new exhibition at the London Science Museum. Driverless: Who is in control? opens on 12 June and looks at “how close we are to living in a world driven by thinking machines”. Continuing until October 2020, the show examines themes familiar to ITS professionals wrestling with the legal, ethical and logistical issues around the introduction of driverless cars to public roads. The museum says it will focus on “how much of this seemingly futuristic technolog
    Read More

Highlighted Content