ITS UK welcomes Transport Committee call for legislation on self-driving vehicles

Intelligent Transport Systems UK (ITS UK) has welcomed a report from parliament’s Transport Committee calling for the government to press ahead with legislation for self-driving vehicles.

The Transport Committee has published its report on the future of self-driving vehicles (SDVs) and how the government should approach their introduction to the UK’s roads.  

The cross-party committee makes a number of recommendations on how regulations should be updated to tackle concerns about safety and security, dilemmas over legal liability, as well as infrastructure that will be needed to accommodate their introduction.   

The report said it was “a crucial time” for self-driving vehicles. 

Transport Committee chair Iain Stewart said: “Thanks to the energy and creativity of the self-driving vehicles sector, the UK has a head start in developing a vision for how SDVs could be introduced. The government’s strategy is one this committee broadly welcomes.  

“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.  

“We believe the government should take a cautious, gradual approach, with SDV technologies only initially introduced in well-defined contexts, or else we risk unintended consequences.”  

ITS UK, the voice of the UK transport technology industry, recently published an open letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to move forward with a Future of Transport Bill.

Max Sugarman, chief executive of ITS UK, said: “As parliament returned from summer recess, 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 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.

“The UK transport technology sector is critical for the UK and can do even more in supporting jobs, investment and economic growth across the country. 

“Trials of self-driving vehicles show the potential of this technology, yet without the right regulatory and policy environment, the UK is at risk of losing its competitive advantage and not making full use of the fantastic work being developed in our connected and automated mobility sector.

“Now is the time for the Government to move forward, building upon the Law Commission’s recommendations, to set out a legal framework in which this sector can grow and thrive further. 

“By doing so, we can ensure this technology is rolled out in the right way, allowing the transport network to reap the many benefits self-driving technology provides.”