Self driving vehicles promise numerous benefits for those using the UK’s road network but the potential for unintended consequences requires careful consideration, a committee of Lords has been told.

The House of Lords’ Science & Technology Committee is currently taking evidence for an inquiry into the future of connected and automated vehicles and heard from Transport Minister John Hayes this week.

He told the committee that driverless cars are expected to improve road safety and, through encouraging more car sharing, reduce congestion and vehicle emissions.

But he also noted that an increase in car sharing could in fact “have a net effect of the opposite kind”. On one hand, he said, it is likely to reduce the number of cars on the road. But it may also prove to be a more attractive option than other modes of public transport, leading to a modal shift among travellers.

Government has to think about transport policy in an holistic way and be mindful of its policy on other types of transport such as buses and trains when considering autonomous vehicles, he said.

“It is really important we don’t hurtle in one direction in respect to our public transport policy, only to be hurtling in another direction entirely when it comes to autonomous vehicles.”

The committee also heard from Professor Sarah Sharples of Nottingham University who emphasised the importance of ensuring a smooth handover when an automated vehicle passes control back to a manual user.

“We need to understand what effect the introduction of automated vehicles will have on driver situational awareness and their ability to regain control at short notice,” she said.

She added that careful consideration has to be given to how this process will work, including how long it should take and what information the driver needs to be given during the build up to handover.

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