{"id":7193,"date":"2019-02-06T16:19:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T16:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/uk-wants-fully-autonomous-cars-on-road\/"},"modified":"2019-02-06T16:19:02","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T16:19:02","slug":"uk-wants-fully-autonomous-cars-on-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/uk-wants-fully-autonomous-cars-on-road\/","title":{"rendered":"UK wants fully autonomous cars on road"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Driverless cars – a technology ready to roll or not?
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The Department for Transport wants to see fully autonomous cars – driving with no human oversight – and cars with no steering wheels tested on UK roads.<\/p>\n

Currently, the rules around trials require a human remote driver – not necessarily inside the vehicle but ready to take over control if needed.<\/p>\n

Any new trial must, however, abide by strict rules, including informing the authorities and emergency services<\/p>\n

Companies must also perform risk assessments and publish safety details.<\/p>\n

The desire to see fully autonomous cars on the UK’s road by 2021 comes despite a series of fatal crashes in the US.<\/p>\n

Caught fire<\/h2>\n

Driverless car technology suffered a major setback when an Uber autonomous car was involved in a fatal crash in Arizona in March 2018. Uber halted its tests after a pedestrian was killed.<\/p>\n

In the same month, another fatal crash occurred in California, when a Tesla in Autopilot mode crashed into into a roadside barrier and caught fire.<\/p>\n

The UK government has promised to have autonomous cars on the roads by 2021. <\/p>\n

And it is estimated the UK market for connected and automated vehicles will be worth \u00a352bn by 2035.<\/p>\n

‘Guinea pigs’<\/h2>\n

Automotive Minister Richard Harrington said: “We need to ensure we take the public with us as we move towards having self-driving cars on our roads by 2021. <\/p>\n

“The update to the code of practice will provide clearer guidance to those looking to carry out trials on public roads.”<\/p>\n

In the US where there are multiple driverless trials, there is also rising criticism. Prof Mary Cummings, from the Pratt School of Engineering, has described the technology as “deeply flawed”.<\/p>\n

And Jason Levine, executive director at the Center for Auto Safety, has stressed the need to get the technology right first and not use humans as “guinea pigs”.<\/p>\n

In the UK, Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for automotive association AA, said: “While we generally welcome ambitious targets, 2021 feels extremely challenging given the technical and legal hurdles yet to be overcome. <\/p>\n

“It is possible we might see ‘driverless’ vehicles following fixed routes in dedicated lanes by then – but the self-driving vehicle that can take you from your home to anywhere and back again in any weather and in mixed traffic is much, much further away.”<\/p>\n

Some of the limitations include:<\/p>\n