Self-driving cars could be on UK roads next year

The first self-driving cars could be on British roads by next year, said Grant Shapps, as he laid out the timetable for a technological motoring revolution in the UK.

The Transport Secretary said the first cars, coaches and lorries with self-driving features such as automatic lane and speed control could be deployed on UK motorways in 2023.

It would be followed by the introduction of fully fledged self-driving vehicles on motorways and potentially some A-roads in 2025 under new legislation designed to create a framework for their deployment.

The Law Commission has already drawn up proposals for such legislation under which motorists in self-driving cars would not be held legally responsible for accidents.

Drivers – known as “users in charge” of vehicles under the law – could not be prosecuted for careless or dangerous driving, speeding or running a red light when it was in a self-driving mode.

Instead, the Commission said the responsibility should fall on the developer or manufacturer of the self-driving car or vehicle whose directors would have corporate liability, which would mean they could be prosecuted once the cause had been established.

The individual owner would, however, still be responsible for insuring the vehicle, maintaining it in a roadworthy state, reporting accidents, parking and ensuring child passengers wore seatbelts.

Mr 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. 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 Department for Transport estimated that the self-driving industry could create up to 38,000 jobs and be worth £42 billion. The Government is investing £100 million, including £34 million worth of research to support safety developments to inform new laws.

A further £20 million will be used to help launch commercial self-driving services – building on an existing £40 million investment – and another £6 million will be used for market research and to support the commercialisation of the technology.

Self-driving and autonomous vehicle technology has been in development for several years, with dozens of companies around the world working on and testing vehicles – some already on public roads.

Motorists buying the first cars with self-driving features next year will still require a valid driving licence so they can drive them on other roads.

Other self-driving vehicles, such as those used for public transport of deliveries and which the Government wants on roads by 2025, would be used without a driving licence as they would be completely autonomous.

‘It is still quite a big leap’

Edmund King, the AA’s president, said: “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.”