The government has announced planned changes to the Highway Code to ensure drivers will be able to experience the full benefits of the first self-driving vehicles safely on UK roads when they arrive.
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The government has announced planned changes to the Highway Code to ensure drivers will be able to experience the full benefits of the first self-driving vehicles safely on UK roads when they arrive. The changes are a response to a public consultation on safe use rules for automated vehicles (AV). The majority of respondents were broadly supportive of the proposed changes to The Highway Code to clarify drivers’ responsibilities in self-driving vehicles.
The changes to the code will help ensure:
The changes to the Highway Code will prepare Britain's roads for the first vehicles approved for self-driving to be used later this year. The introduction of the technology is likely to begin with vehicles travelling at slow speeds on motorways, such as in congested traffic.
The government expects to have a full regulatory framework in place to support the widespread deployment of the technology by 2025, helping to make the movement of people and goods safer, greener and more efficient.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
"The Highway Code has been updated a number of times in recent years to reflect the rapidly changing transport world we live in and these latest additions will help us all understand what we must and must not do as we move forward to an environment where cars drive themselves.
The final part of the jigsaw is to ensure these amendments are widely communicated to, and understood by, vehicle owners. Vehicle manufacturers and sellers will have a vital role to play in ensuring their customers fully appreciate the capabilities of the cars they buy and the rules that govern them."
The technology could improve access to transport for people with mobility issues and lead to more reliable public transport services, helping to level-up access to transport in historically disconnected and rural areas.
The technology could also improve road safety across Britain by reducing human error, which is a contributory factor in 88% of all recorded road collisions.
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