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

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • A third of Brits willing to pay more to purchase electric cars
    June 5, 2018
    Over a third of the British public would be willing to pay more for a fully electric car than a petrol or diesel vehicle, said Baringa Partners. However, the business consultancy’s latest report also highlighted 35% of respondents think these vehicles are worse value for money. Called Is the UK ready for electric cars?, the document revealed 68% of respondents are willing to pay more for an electric car for its environmental benefits. Meanwhile, nearly half based their decision on the belief that electri
    Read More
  • London conference looks to MaaS future
    March 16, 2017
    Transportation experts from across the globe converge on London for ITS International’s MaaS-Market Conference on 22 and 23 March. Reading international transport and technology experts will gather at a major conference in London next month to debate a revolutionary overhaul of their transport systems by developing Mobility as a Service – or MaaS – operations.
    Read More
  • AID partners with Aeva on sensors for AVs
    May 1, 2019
    AID (Autonomous Intelligent Driving), a subsidiary of Audi, is installing Aeva’s 4D Lidar technology to its electric ‘e-tron’ test vehicles in Munich, Germany. AID is hoping the technology will help it bring autonomous vehicles (AV) to urban areas within the next years. Alexandre Haag, AID´s chief technology officer, says Aeva’s 4D Lidar technology was chosen for its “combination of long range, instantaneous velocity measurements at cm/s precision and robustness to interferences”. AID says Aeva’
    Read More
  • Hyundai and Aurora partner to develop Level 4 AVs by 2021
    January 5, 2018
    Aurora’s self-driving technology will be incorporated into Hyundai Motor’s (Hyundai) vehicles in an agreement to bring Level 4 autonomy to market by 2021. The partnership aims to deploy autonomous driving quickly, broadly and safely with Hyundai’s new generation fuel-cell vehicle to be the first test model this year. In the long term, both companies will work to commercialize these vehicles worldwide. The project will initially focus on the ongoing development of hardware and software for automated and
    Read More

Highlighted Content