Britain’s competitive advantage in the development of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) could be lost if the Government does not bring forward the necessary legislative and regulatory changes, MPs have warned.
The warning came in a Transport Select Committee report on the future of SDVs and their introduction to the UK’s roads, which recommends that regulations be updated to tackle concerns about safety and security and dilemmas over legal liability, as well as the necessary infrastructure.
The Committee said it had heard that current laws for SDVs are archaic and limiting, especially concerning testing and legal liability, with witnesses saying that the sector is crying out for regulation.
It urged the Government to pass comprehensive legislation in the next parliamentary session to put in place the robust regulatory framework it has promised.
The Committee said this should cover vehicle approvals, liability for accidents, cybersecurity, and the use of personal data. Failing to do so will do significant and lasting damage to the UK's SDV industry, it argued.
Committee chair Iain Stewart (pictured) said: ‘Self-driving vehicles are a great British success story in the making and we have a competitive advantage over many other countries. But all that hard work could be at risk if the Government doesn’t follow through and bring forward a Transport Bill in the next Parliamentary session, before the next general election.
‘Widespread take-up of SDVs faces various hurdles, including public confidence in their safety, security and their potential to have knock-on impacts on other road users. If the Government is going to meet its ambitions for self-driving vehicle deployment these knotty issues need to be addressed.’
The Committee said that while it is widely assumed SDVs will prove safer than human drivers, this is not a given and safety must remain the Government’s overriding priority as SDVs encounter real-world complexity.
MPs questioned the Government's proposed safety ambition – that self-driving vehicles will be ‘expected to achieve an equivalent level of safety to that of a competent and careful human driver’ – as ‘too weak and too vague’.
MPs said that while some steps have been taken on the issue of infrastructure by the Government and public bodies, these preparations are too siloed and divorced from broader planning.
They added that if the Government is serious about SDVs it should ensure that meeting their needs is an integral part of future infrastructure strategy.
The committee said it believes that SDVs have the potential to improve connectivity and provide significant benefits for safety and productivity in industries such as logistics, but warned that the Government must take a cautious, gradual approach with the technology introduced only in well-defined and appropriate contexts.
MPs raised concerns that SDVs could worsen congestion and exacerbate inequalities in transport access if, for example, self-driving private hire vehicles are unable to offer the same assistance to disabled people as human-driven ones.
Max Sugarman, chief executive of Intelligent Transport Systems UK, said: ‘Last week, we published a letter to the prime minister signed by more than 50 organisations from the transport technology sector calling for a Future of Transport Bill to be introduced in the King’s Speech.
‘So, today, it’s great to see Parliament’s Transport Committee back the call for legislation, urging the Government to move forward with measures for the safe, secure and successful introduction of self and remote-driving.’
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said; 'The prospect of fully self-driving cars was once in the realms of sci-fi, but with the right regulations they could be coming to a street near you.
'However, road authorities will have to be more meticulous with the condition of the roads, particularly markings and signage that are critical for a self-driving car to navigate. Skimping on maintenance schedules to save money won’t be an option.'
