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Driverless cars investment signals UK's intention to 'lead the world in relation to new technologies', says expert


The £100 million pledged by the UK chancellor earlier this week for new research into driverless cars shows the government is seeking to "lead the world in relation to new technologies", an expert has said.

However, product liability specialist Manoj Vaghela of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said significantly more investment is needed for the development of truly autonomous vehicles.

"The sum invested is a drop in the ocean when compared with the investment that will be required if we are ever to see safe driverless vehicles on the road," Vaghela said. "However, it signals that Britain wants to lead the world in relation to new technologies and is a welcome announcement."

In his Budget announcement, George Osborne committed £100m of funds for research and development into "intelligent mobility" as part of the government's investment in science and innovation. The research and development will "focus on enhancing the development of driverless car technology and the systems required to implement and adopt the technology, such as telecommunications", according to the chancellor's Budget papers.

The government last month published a report which concluded that the UK's legal and regulatory environment does not present a barrier to the testing of 'driverless' cars on public roads. However, it said some legal changes are necessary to support driverless cars development in the UK and that it would look to clarify who would be held responsible for collisions involving autonomous vehicles.

The government said it intends to publish a new code of practice on the testing of driverless cars in the UK. The government is funding the testing of driverless cars on public roads in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry. Testing conducted through the government-funded schemes will have to adhere to the new code of practice.

While initial testing of driverless cars in the UK will involve automated vehicles that are subject to a qualified test driver's supervision, there are longer term plans to introduce fully autonomous vehicles onto UK roads.

Nicole Livesey of Pinsent Masons, a legal expert in the field of advanced manufacturing, welcomed the fact that the UK is "continuing to look to put itself ahead of the curve for technology innovation" in relation to driverless cars development.

"This additional investment supports the recent government report which takes a flexible approach to our legal and regulatory framework to the testing of driverless cars in the UK, opening up the UK to overseas investment," Livesey said. "Whilst full automation will take a number of years, this takes us a step closer." 

The government has also published a new report looking at the benefits and costs of the new 'eCall' system that EU law makers look like requiring car manufacturers to fit into their vehicles in future.

The mandatory eCall system that is proposed would automatically notify the emergency services in the event of a car accident. It would work by recording basic information, including "the class of vehicle, the type of fuel used, the time of the accident and the exact location" and use '112 emergency call technology' to notify the emergency services immediately an incident occurs, under the plans backed by MEPs late last year.

The report concluded (47-page / 8.28MB PDF) that there is "no clear business case has been established at a UK or a European level" for the technology.

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