Plans to have self driving cars on UK roads by 2025 have been unveiled by the Government in a new scheme, backed by a multi-million pound investment in order to boost the rollout of the vehicles.
The Government has confirmed that some cars, coaches and even lorries with the self-driving features may be operating on main motorways by 2023. The Department for Transport has said that the self-driving industry could create up to 38,000 jobs in the country, and be worth a whopping £42 billion.
The new plans will see legislation introduced to allow for a safe, wide rollout of the self-driving vehicles by 2025, and will be backed by £34 million worth of research to support safety developments to inform the newest laws. A further fund of £20 million will be used to launch self-driving services commercially.
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This will build on an existing £40 million investment, and a further £6 million will be added to the fund in order to be used for market research and support the commercialisation of the technology. Self-driving and autonomous vehicle technology has been a plan in development for a number of years, with many companies globally working on and testing vehicles, with some even on public roads.
The Government also said that the roll-out of self-driving services may well revolutionise public transport, most particularly for those who cannot drive, and could also help reduce road collisions that are caused by basic human error. They also said that vehicles that drive themselves on motorways could be on sale by 2023, but buyers would require a valid driving licence so the user could drive the vehicle on other major roads.
Self-driving vehicles that would be used for the public transport of deliveries would be on the roads by 2025, as decided by the higher powers. The vehicles would also be used without a driving licence, as they would be completely autonomous.
Transport secretary Grant Schnapps 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. We want the UK to be at the forefront of developing and using this fantastic technology, and that is why we are investing millions in vital research into safety and setting the legislation to ensure we gain the full benefits that this technology promises.”
The Government has confirmed that it is now consulting on safety around self-driving technology and are planning on building new legislation around existing laws. These laws would state that manufacturers are responsible for a vehicle's actions when self-driving was active - meaning the human in the car would not be liable for incidents when self-driving was active.
AA president Edmund King said in response to these plans: "The automotive world is changing rapidly and so the Government is right to embrace the positive changes offered by this new technology, and back it by funding research and putting forward legislation.
“Assisted driving systems, for example, autonomous 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.
“It is important that the Government does study how these vehicles would interact with other road users on different roads and changing weather conditions. However, 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.”
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