The UK is edging closer to a driverless future and it could take a huge step towards being an everyday reality as early as next year.
A £100m plan that could see new legislation introduced to roll-out self-driving vehicles in the next three years has been launched by the Department for Transport (DfT).
It envisions some cars, coaches and lorries with self-driving features to be operating on motorways in 2023.
The plans would prioritise safety through new laws and create thousands of jobs in the industry, the DfT said.
Self-driving and autonomous vehicle technology has been in development for a number of years, with dozens of companies around the world working on and testing vehicles – some already on public roads.
While the world is on the cusp of a revolution in transport, self-driving vehicles are not without their problems. Crashes and even fatal incidents have thrown into doubt how ready the technology is.
What are the Government’s plans?
Of the £100m investment, £34m has been earmarked for research in safety developments that could inform legislation, such as performance of self-driving cars in poor weather conditions and how they interact with pedestrians, other vehicles and cyclists.
Some £20m will be spent on kick-starting commercial self-driving services. Examples given were groceries delivered to customers by self-driving vehicles, and shuttle pods transporting passengers through airports.
For rural areas, the DfT predicts self-driving vehicles could help people in towns and villages reach existing public transport nearby.
The DfT said the emerging market of self-driving vehicles could create up to 38,000 jobs and could be worth an estimated £42bn.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The benefits of self-driving vehicles have the potential to be huge. Not only can they improve people’s access to education and other vital services, but the industry itself can create tens of thousands of job opportunities throughout the country.
“Most importantly, they’re expected to make our roads safer by reducing the dangers of driver error in road collisions.”
The Government has made similar remarks before. In 2017, then-transport secretary Chris Grayling said he expected autonomous cars to reach the market and to be used on UK roads by 2021.
What has been the response?
In response to the plans, AA president Edmund King said the Government was “right to embrace the positive changes offered by this new technology”.
He said assisted driving systems such as emergency braking and adaptive cruise control “are already helping millions of drivers stay safe on the roads”.
“It is still quite a big leap from assisted driving, where the driver is still in control, to self-driving, where the car takes control,” he said.
While highlighting the importance of safety research, Mr King added: “The ultimate prize, in terms of saving thousands of lives and improving the mobility of the elderly and the less mobile, is well worth pursuing.”
What are the different levels of self-driving?
Self-driving vehicles are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and use a combination of technologies.
According to the US-based Society of Automotive Engineers there are five levels of driving automation:
- Hands-on – where the driver and the machine share control over the vehicle. This includes adaptive cruise control and lane-assist.
- Hands-off – the car would be able to drive itself but only under the supervision of a driver, who has to be prepared to take over when things look to be going wrong. Such systems can brake automatically, accelerate and take over steering. Cars might also be able to monitor a driver’s face, specifically the eyes, to make sure they’re paying attention. Self-driving cars that exist today are at this level.
- Eyes-off – the vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions. Drivers will be notified by the vehicle when to take over.
- Mind-off – the automated driving features will not require a driver to take over. If the vehicle requires a driver’s attention it will be able to safely pull over to the side of the road in pre-agreed areas.
- Fully automated – this feature can drive the vehicle under all conditions and requires no input from the driver.
What are the risks?
Reports have emerged of accidents caused by vehicles with automated driving features.
Self-driving AI systems were involved in nearly 400 car crashes in 10 months in the US, the New York Times reported, citing findings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Of the 392 incidents reported from 1 July last year to 15 May, six people died and five were seriously injured. Many of the crashes involved Tesla vehicles.
Since 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened 38 investigations of crashes involving Tesla vehicles where advanced driver assistance systems were suspected of being used.
Nineteen deaths were reported from those crashes, including a motorcyclist killed last month in Utah.
Earlier this week, BMW said a fatal crash involving four vehicles on a German highway did not involve a self-driving car, refuting a police statement that had questioned whether the driver had been actively steering the vehicle at the time.
A 33-year-old woman was killed and nine other people, including the 43-year-old driver of the BMW and his 18-month-old passenger, were seriously injured.
