√UK prepares for fully autonomous vehicles in 2025

The UK government is spending £100 million to prepare for a ‘self-driving revolution’ with fully autonomous vehicles within three years.

The UK government has made a landmark commitment to the introduction of fully autonomous vehicles on the country’s roads from 2025 — and backed it with £100 million ($AU170m) in funding for investment and safety research.

Although autonomous-car technology is still hit and miss – and the subject of ongoing investigations by US road safety regulators – the UK will begin the shift within a year.

The legislation will allow drivers of vehicles with some semi-autonomous features — including lane-keep assistance — to take their hands off the wheel at speeds up to 60km/h.

One crucial detail in the upcoming legislation for fully autonomous driving — announced on the UK government website — indicates “manufacturers are responsible for the vehicle’s actions when self-driving, meaning a human driver would not be liable for incidents related to driving while the vehicle is in control of driving”.

The UK government believes the push for autonomous vehicles will allow Britain to help lead the switch — which could be worth an estimated £42 billion ($AU72bn) and create up to 38,000 jobs.

“We want the UK to be at the forefront of developing and using this fantastic technology, and that is why we are investing millions in vital research into safety and setting the legislation to ensure we gain the full benefits that this technology promises,” said the UK transport secretary, Grant Shapps, in an official government statement.

“The benefits of self-driving vehicles have the potential to be huge. Not only can they improve people’s access to education and other vital services, but the industry itself can create tens of thousands of job opportunities throughout the country.

“Most importantly, they’re expected to make our roads safer by reducing the dangers of driver error in road collisions.”

The government spending package includes £34 million ($AU58m) on safety research, including the performance of self-driving cars in bad weather and how they interact with pedestrians, other vehicles, and cyclists.

There is also £20 million ($AU34m) to help kick-start businesses — such as self-driving grocery deliveries — and £6 million ($AU10m) for market research and commercialisation of the technology.

“Self-driving vehicles could revolutionise public transport and passenger travel — especially for those who don’t drive — better connect rural communities and reduce road collisions caused by human error,” the government statement said.

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