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Are driverless cars coming to British roads?
- Breakdown Club
- Feb 21, 2023
- 5 min read
The government has announced it wants driverless cars on the road soon - and they could reach 70mph.
The news that motorists might be allowed to take their hands off the steering wheel for the first time was portrayed as a "big step" in that direction.
The truth, as ever, is more nuanced.
The Department for Transport has announced a consultation into the possibility that some automated driving technologies might be allowed in certain particular circumstances.
It has published plans to legalise the use of "lane keeping" systems that lets the car take control of itself in slow traffic.
This kind of technology is already widely available in modern cars, but the Highway Code insists that motorists remain in control at all times.
This change would allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel. Only briefly.
You could not watch a film or even send anything more than the briefest text until, for the first time outside trials, the car would be in charge.
To some, that makes it an important step.
"It's still a vehicle taking decisions on its steering and its speed without you steering or controlling the speed," said Oxford professor Paul Newman, who founded self-driving technology company Oxbotica.
"[The car] has to perceive its environment, it's got to know where it is, it's got to know where other vehicles are. These are the building blocks of autonomy."
Professor Newman cites an old adage known as Amara's Law - that we tend to overestimate the effect of technology in the short run and underestimate it in the long run.
We see small steps without realising what large forces they will grow into. For yesterday's brick mobile phones, read today's barely-autonomous vehicles.
"There is no way we will be stuck behind a steering wheel forever," the professor added.
There is a counter-argument.
Some of the world's foremost artificial intelligence practitioners suggest that full automation is not going to arrive slowly, bit by bit.
It will take a step-change in the technology to achieve it - and, at present, we are a long way from that.
But, even if the technology is not developing, the conditions of its use are.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Department for Transport's call for evidence are the conditions it places on motorists who want to use automated systems.
In order to deploy one, drivers will be checked every 30 seconds for signs including blinking and "conscious head or body movements".
If they do not pass the tests, the system will shut down. If you cannot change the car as much as you would like, change the driver instead.
So often, that is the way technological revolution really works.
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Hands-free driving could soon be a possibility as consultation opens
New tech could allow cars to travel down motorways at 70mph, without the driver controlling the vehicle.
The sight of cars driving down motorways without hands at the wheel could soon be a reality, after the government announced a consultation into hands-free technology.
A call for evidence into Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) has been issued by the Department for Transport (DfT), to see if the technology would be workable on the UK's roads.
ALKS can control the movement of vehicles at low speeds, and keep them in lane for extended periods of time until the driver is prompted to take control.
The DfT said that it could be given the green light for speeds of up to 70mph, making long stretches of tedious road more manageable for drivers.
It is thought ALKS and similar systems could prevent 47,000 serious accidents and save almost 4,000 lives over the next decade, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), of which the UK is a member, has already approved the technology, which could be available by next spring.
The consultation will hear from the British motoring industry to see how the technology can be safely put in place, and work out whether the driver, or the provider of the technology, would be responsible for safety while the system is in use.
The call for evidence closes on 27 October this year.
Rachel Maclean, transport minister, said: "Automated technology could make driving safer, smoother and easier for motorists and the UK should be the first country to see these benefits, attracting manufacturers to develop and test new technologies."
"The UK's work in this area is world leading and the results from this call for evidence could be a significant step forward for this exciting technology."
Edmund King, AA president, said: "Over the last 50 years, leading-edge in-car technology from seat belts to airbags and ABS has helped to save thousands of lives."
"The government is right to be consulting on the latest collision-avoidance system which has the potential to make our roads even safer in the future."
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Driverless, autonomous transport pods begin UK public trials
The pods use sensors, radar and vision processing to navigate crowded areas and avoid collisions.
Autonomous pods, which could be used to provide mass driverless transport, will be tested on the public for the first time on Tuesday.
The vehicles are being trialled in Bristol by infrastructure firm AECOM, which is working with partners including the Bristol Robotics Laboratory to develop autonomous vehicles.
The pods use sensors, radar and vision processing to navigate areas crowded with pedestrians, push-chairs and bikes.
This will be the first test which will allow members of the public to travel in the pods without any dedicated supervisor inside, with researchers studying their reaction to autonomous transport.
It's hoped the pods could be used in cities across the UK to move people to venues, hailed by the public using an app.
The project, called CAPRI, is made up of 17 businesses and academic institutions including the University of the West of England, Bristol University and Heathrow Airport.
The CAPRI consortium was awarded £35m by The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), the government department set up to support the early market for CAVs.
George Lunt, Technical Director at AECOM, said: "With a number of environmental, efficiency and mobility benefits associated with connected and autonomous vehicles, there is great potential for the UK to enter a diverse range of international markets."
"However, for this idea to fully develop, it is vital the public are on board and have the chance to experience a mobility service that can potentially transform the way they travel," he added.
Trials on open public roads will take place later this year.
Nope. I don't like it one bit
so I guess that getting the licence will cost 50% less since machines will do our jobs, isn't it? Lol.
Who'd have known
I'm not sure if we should trust tech 100% , we are also losing our skills relying all to machines.