Car drivers misled and endangered by words like ‘autonomous’

Carmakers using the word ‘autonomous’ are lulling UK drivers into a false sense of security, says a new report. The warning from Thatcham Research and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) follows reports of drivers crashing because they are over-reliant on technology that is not fully autonomous. The partnership is now calling for manufacturers and legislators to clarify the capability of vehicles sold with technology that does some driving on behalf of motorists. Thatcham’s latest paper, Assi
June 13, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Carmakers using the word ‘autonomous’ are lulling UK drivers into a false sense of security, says a new report. The warning from Thatcham Research and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) follows reports of drivers crashing because they are over-reliant on technology that is not fully autonomous.  


The partnership is now calling for manufacturers and legislators to clarify the capability of vehicles sold with technology that does some driving on behalf of motorists.

Thatcham’s latest paper, Assisted and Automated Driving Definition and Assessment, has identified dangerous areas associated with some driver support technologies. These include misleading names such as Autopilot and ProPilot, which imply a level of autonomy that is currently unavailable. The document also explains how and when drivers should take back control of their vehicles.

Matthew Avery, head of research at Thatcham, says fully-autonomous vehicles – which do not require driver intervention - will not be available for many years. “Until then, drivers remain criminally liable for the safe use of their cars and, as such, the capability of current road vehicle technologies must not be oversold,” he adds.

Thatcham stresses the need for absolute clarity on how these technologies are designed to work and has created a list of %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external 10 key criteria false https://www.abi.org.uk/globalassets/files/publications/public/motor/2018/06/thatcham-research-assisted-and-automated-driving-definitions-summary-june-2018.pdf false false%> that every assisted vehicle must meet for it to become ‘automated’. These include giving adequate notice to drivers in situations where they need to take back control. In addition, vehicles must be able to arrive at an appropriate ‘safe stop’ if they are unable to continue, or if the driver fails to intervene.

James Dalton, director of general insurance policy at ABI, says: “Manufacturers must be responsible in how they describe and name what their vehicles can do, and the insurance industry is ready to hold them to account on this.”

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Auto industry on cusp of revolutionary change
    August 7, 2012
    The automotive industry appears to be on the cusp of revolutionary change, which will be engendered by the advent of autonomous or ‘self-driving’ vehicles - and the timing may be sooner than you think, according to a new report unveiled by KPMG and the Centre for Automotive Research (CAR).
    Read More
  • Redflex automates traffic offences with Alcyon
    March 20, 2018
    Redflex is here at Intertraffic to highlight its innovative solution for processing and managing photo enforcement incidents. This can be a costly, complex and time-consuming task for an organisation, particularly so as camera networks proliferate and volumes of data increase. Numerous touch points and variables in the infringement life cycle add to the challenge. “We saw that enforcement agencies were looking for a unified platform that could help them streamline the way they handled incidents, while als
    Read More
  • Redflex automates traffic offences with Alcyon
    March 20, 2018
    Redflex is highlighting its innovative solution for processing and managing photo enforcement incidents. This can be a costly, complex and time-consuming task for an organisation, particularly so as camera networks proliferate and volumes of data increase. Numerous touch points and variables in the infringement life cycle add to the challenge. “We saw that enforcement agencies were looking for a unified platform that could help them streamline the way they handled incidents, while also
    Read More
  • Transdev enters partnership to develop shared mobility solution
    January 21, 2019
    Transdev is to launch an electric and automated shuttle service by 2020 in France and Germany. The company is to integrate its autonomous shuttle transport and supervision system with a shuttle provided by the e.Go Moove joint venture – a partnership comprising e.Go, a manufacturer of electric vehicles, and chassis technology firm ZF. ZF will provide the shuttle’s electric drive systems, steering systems and brakes as well as its ProAI central computer – a system which acts as a central control unit with
    Read More

Highlighted Content