The British government announced on Wednesday that it would be the first country to regulate the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways. The first such cars may be on public roads as early as this year.
The UK Department of Transport said it was working on specific wording to update the country’s highway code for the safe use of self-driving vehicle systems, starting with Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS), which use sensors and software to keep cars inside a lane on which they can accelerate and brake without any input from the driver.
The government said ALKS use was restricted to highways traveling at speeds below 60 km / h.
The UK government wants to be at the forefront of autonomous driving technology adoption and the Department of Transport predicts that by 2035 around 40% of new UK cars will be self-driving and could create up to 38,000 new skilled jobs.
“The automotive industry welcomes this important step in enabling automated vehicles to be used on UK roads, making the UK the avant-garde in road safety and automotive technology,” said Mike Hawes, CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders automotive lobby group, in an explanation.
However, insurance companies warn that the UK’s goal of leading the adoption of self-driving cars could backfire if automakers and regulators fail to outline the current limitations of the technology available today.
They say calling ALKS “automated” or using the synonym “self-driving” would confuse British drivers into believing that the cars can drive themselves, cause accidents and risk public backlash against the technology.
“Aside from the lack of technical skills, our concern is that by calling ALKS Automated, the UK Government is adding to the confusion and abuses of assisted driving systems that have unfortunately resulted in many tragic deaths,” said Matthew Avery, Director of Research at Thatcham Research who tested ALKS systems.
The dangers of drivers apparently misunderstanding the technology’s limits has been a problem in the US, where regulators are checking about 20 accidents using Tesla’s driver assistance tools such as the “autopilot” system.
