‘Pathway to Driverless Cars: proposals to support advanced driver assistance systems and automated vehicle technologies (AVT)’ sets out government thinking, particularly around maximising opportunities for the UK, in terms of development, manufacture and adoption of technologies.
It also suggests that government sees potential from the technologies not only for safe and efficient passenger transport, but also for freight vehicles.
“These technologies could lead improved productivity and increased trade as British industries capture part of a wider global market for intelligent mobility, estimated by the Transport Systems Catapult to be worth £900 billion by 2025,” states the consultation document.
DfT makes the point that its initial regulatory review around autonomous vehicles concluded in February 2015, confirming that testing driverless vehicle technologies in the UK is already possible from a legal perspective.
“Unlike other countries, our test-anywhere advantage means you can test automated vehicles on any road in the UK without needing to seek permission from a network operator, report any data to a central authority, or put up a surety bond,” states the document.
DfT has also published a code of practice for vehicle testers, which, it believes, has become the reference for governments and regulators around the world.
In February this year (2016), the DfT also announced the winners of the first £20 million match-funding competition from the £100 million Intelligent Mobility Fund, aimed at facilitating development of connected and AVT.
“We will be launching the next competition, worth up to £30m, in August,” says the document. “In May we issued a call for evidence on how we can improve the UK’s testing environment for connected and automated vehicles.”
DfT is asking whether there is a requirement for a new “flagship test bed” to provide a focus for automated vehicle testing.
It also draws attention to the fact that the department is already working on an infrastructure for connected vehicles, with plans for a ‘Connected Corridor’ from London to Dover.
The point of this consultation, however, is to open the debate not only around competing technologies – and a clear requirement for their coexistence with traditional, non-automated vehicles – but also around regulation appropriate to stimulating development while retaining safety and confidence.
“We want to take a pragmatic and proportionate approach, with a rolling programme of regulatory reform,” says DfT, pointing to the initial need to update the UK’s insurance framework so that “insurers and manufacturers [have] time to consider what products can come to market in time for when this technology arrives”.
Additinally, given the government’s determination also to run trials on vehicle platooning, DfT also wants to consider how regulations might impact these applications of AVT.
The document notes that platooning should allow heavy-duty vehicles “to benefit from reduced aerodynamic drag and therefore increased fuel efficiency. Platooning could also free more road space and improve traffic flow”.
For the FTA (Freight Transport Associatrion), the consultation document represents a measured approach.
“Driver aides and moves towards fuller automation are the most promising routes we have for a step-change in road safety,” comments head of national and regional policy Christopher Snelling.
The emissions and road use efficiency benefits are also potentially substantial, so updating regulations to enable all these technologies to be developed as quickly as possible is a good move.”
Proposals on the table fall into three areas: insurance, regulation and the highway Code.
DfT makes the point that the UK already has “one the best regulatory regimes for testing automated vehicles in the world”.
And it adds: “We are also one of the first countries in the world to commit to making changes to their domestic regulatory regime to adapt to the introduction of AVT.
“This consultation seeks your views on the latest of these proposals to facilitate the use of ADAS and AVT across the UK.”
The consultation period runs until 9 September 2016.