‘Self-driving’ automobiles might arrive on British roads by finish of 2021

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LONDON – The UK government announced on Wednesday that the first types of “self-driving” cars could be on UK roads by the end of 2021, paving the way for the nation to catch up with the US and other countries.

The Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday that it has “set out” how vehicles equipped with an automated lane departure warning system (ALKS) can be legally defined as self-driving, provided there is no evidence to support the vehicle’s ability to drive itself Could ask a question.

Such systems, first used in Japan, can help a vehicle stay in its lane in slow traffic on freeways (Autobahn) while the driver can take his hands off the steering wheel and safely take it over if necessary. However, you cannot count on them to drive a car from a suburb of London to a suburb outside of Birmingham, for example.

UK Transport Secretary Rachel Maclean welcomed the announcement as an “important step” for the safe use of self-driving vehicles in the UK, adding that future journeys could be greener, easier and more reliable.

The government said the use of ALKS will be limited to speeds up to 60 km / h on UK motorways, which means it will only be used in heavy traffic. It didn’t respond immediately when CNBC asked if it plans to test the technology or allow members of the public to use ALKS in their own cars.

Thatcham Research, a company that conducts security testing for auto insurance, said the ALKS systems in their current form cannot be considered automated.

“They are assisted driving systems because they rely on the driver to take control back,” said Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research, in a blog post on the company’s website.

“Aside from the lack of technical skills, our concern is that by calling ALKS Automated, the UK government is adding to the confusion and frequent abuse of assisted driving systems that have unfortunately resulted in many tragic deaths,” added Avery.

Stan Boland, CEO and co-founder of Five, a self-driving software company headquartered in the UK, told CNBC that ALKS is only available as a feature on a reduced number of premium vehicles, such as: B. certain models of the Honda Legend and the new electric Mercedes S-Class. “The immediate effects of ALKS in its current form will be quite modest,” he said.

However, it could pave the way for fully self-driving technology in the future.

“It will lead to later iterations of the regulation that allow for higher speed (possibly 130 km / h), more complex maneuvers (such as lane changes and overtaking maneuvers) and the use of the system on public roads with fully mixed traffic,” said Boland.

“These later iterations will be much more important in enabling safe automated driving over long and complex routes so that consumers can read, chat, use their devices, etc. while driving,” added Boland.

Mike Hawes, executive director of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said automated driving systems could prevent 47,000 major accidents and save 3,900 lives over the next decade. Self-driving systems are far from perfect right now, and Tesla’s “autopilot” system has resulted in a number of crashes. Tech giants like Google and Apple are also working on their own self-driving technology.

The government said self-driving technology could ultimately help reduce congestion in cities as traffic lights and vehicles will be able to “talk” to each other. It added that connected and autonomous vehicle technology could create around 38,000 new jobs and the industry could reach £ 42 billion ($ 58 billion) by 2035.

Another focus of the British government was on so-called “smart highways”. These road sections transform the breakdown lane into a usable lane and limit the speed or close lanes with the help of electronic overhead signs. They are designed to increase capacity and reduce congestion in particularly busy areas. However, they were criticized after a series of fatal accidents in which stationary cars were hit.

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