Research into how driverless vehicles will affect all road users has been commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT), as part of cross-government working to 'join-up' policies on autonomous vehicles.
Analysis is also being finalised on how data from connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) can be harnessed, particularly surrounding how telematics products can improve safety for new drivers.
The DfT has also started negotiations with other countries to update international approval regulations for driverless cars, following its own The Pathway to Driverless Cars review, which sets out a clear timeline committing to updating UK regulations.
The Government said it was taking ‘a pro-active approach’ to reviewing and updating ‘all relevant areas of legislation’ to ‘keep up’ with technological change on the road.
In its written response to the transport committee, the DfT said: ‘We are already regarded as one of the leading countries in the CAV field and we want to maintain this position. As we have stated previously, our ambition is to make the UK a world leader in CAV research, development, demonstration, and deployment.
'CAVs are expected to help deliver a number of important government policy objectives - from improving mobility and road safety to contributing to reducing congestion, and importantly, they deliver industrial benefits too.’
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