Skip to main content

Driving tests should be adapted for use of selfdriving cars MPs warn



Driving tests will have to be adapted to make sure motorists know how to take control of a self-driving car, a report by MPs has warned.

The report, by the Commons Transport committee, urged the Government to introduce new laws putting into place a robust framework for self-driving vehicles.

It said the driving test will soon need to be changed to take into account that drivers 'acquire and maintain the necessary skills for taking control of a vehicle in all circumstances'.

But it cautioned that self-driving cars may mean worse road safety from human drivers who get less practice, saying: 'Greater automation will reduce time spent driving.

'Over time drivers may become less practised and therefore less skilled.

The report, by the Commons Transport committee, urged the Government to introduce new laws putting into place a robust framework for self-driving vehicles (Stock Photo)

'Conversely, the demands on drivers will grow as they will be called upon to retake control of vehicles in challenging circumstances with little notice.

'The Government should set out a strategy for the future of human driving in a world of self-driving vehicles.'

The report adds: 'The introduction of self-driving vehicles to the UK's roads will affect all road users.

'We believe that this should not impose new responsibilities on other road users and pedestrians, limit their access to, or use of, public infrastructure or, crucially, make them less safe'.

Urging the drafting new laws to cover areas such as vehicle approval, liability for accidents and cybersecurity, the MPs warned: 'Failing to do so will do significant and lasting damage both to the UK's self-driving vehicle industry and to this country's reputation as a trailblazer.'

The Government will set out proposed legislation for the next parliamentary session in the King's Speech on November 7.

In April, the UK became the first European country to allow drivers to take their hands off car steering wheels on public roads, after the Department for Transport gave manufacturer Ford permission to activate its BlueCruise system on motorways.

This controls functions such as steering, acceleration, braking and lane positioning.

Fully self-driving cars remain banned on public roads in the UK apart from during Government-approved trials.

The report said the driving test will soon need to be changed to take into account that drivers 'acquire and maintain the necessary skills for taking control of a vehicle in all circumstances' (Stock Photo)

Iain Stewart, who chairs the Transport Committee, said: 'Thanks to the energy and creativity of the self-driving vehicles sector, the UK has a head start in developing a vision for how SDVs (self-driving vehicles) could be introduced. The Government's strategy is one this committee broadly welcomes.

'Self-driving vehicles are a great British success story in the making and we have a competitive advantage over many other countries.

'But all that hard work could be at risk if the Government doesn't follow through and bring forward a transport Bill in the next parliamentary session, before the next general election.

'Widespread take-up of SDVs faces various hurdles, including public confidence in their safety, security and their potential to have knock-on impacts on other road users.

'If the Government is going to meet its ambitions for self-driving vehicle deployment, these knotty issues need to be addressed.

'We believe the Government should take a cautious, gradual approach, with SDV technologies only initially introduced in well-defined contexts, or else we risk unintended consequences.'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Osho Quotes on Meditation

Osho Quotes on Meditation If tea-drinking can become a meditation, then anything can become a meditation — cooking or washing your clothes, any activity can be transformed into meditation. And the real sannyasin, the real seeker, will transform all his acts into meditation. Only then, when meditation spreads over all your life, not only when you are awake in the day — slowly slowly it starts penetrating and permeating your being in sleep too — when it becomes just part of you, like breathing, like your heartbeat, then, only, have you attained to the discipline, to the essential discipline of Zen. Meditation means: drop all thoughts, drop all ideologies, drop all knowledge. Drop the mind itself. The mind is constantly talking. If the inner talk can drop even for a single moment you will be able to have a glimpse of no-mind. That’s what meditation is all about. The state of no-mind is the right state. It is your state. Millions of people miss meditation because meditation has taken on...
2 comments
Read more

Im a mum I save time doing my kids lunches using savvy hacks its easy

EVERYONE parent will know just how crazy the mornings can be when you're getting the kids ready for school. From prepping their lunches, to getting them washed and ready - time can fly by. But one savvy mum has shared just the hack to help speed up the process in the mornings. The mum, who goes by the name of Azure MacCannell on TikTok, has revealed a super time saving trick. She preps all of the sandwiches for the week, and freezes them. Azure has two lines of separate pieces of bread next to each other, On one line she spreads peanut butter, and on the other line she spreads jam. Azure then places the bread on top of each other to make a sandwich, before using a crust cutter to make the sandwiches into smaller squares. She then puts them into a big container and freezes them and use them "as needed." Azure also freezes the crust for "delicious French toast sticks." The video attracted thousands of likes, with many rushing to the comments section to share their...
Post a Comment
Read more

33 Crore Gods (Devi / Devtas) of Hindus

33 Crore Gods of Hindus For the believers of God, it is an accepted faith across the globe that God is one. Hindus too believe so, but then there remains a question often shaped as a mockery over Hindus about the various practices of worship rendered to innumerous God in their faith. And this question is often thrown by people, who are philosophically and religiously recognized. How come Hindu religion has 33 crore Gods? Is it sensible at all to believe and practice this? I have a question – How can one decide what is sensible and what is not, particularly when none of those great thinkers have attained perfection in realization of God, none of them have seen God, none of them have heard God. There are numerous instances where religion, religious books and their beliefs have tried to define God. Criticism is an easy thing to do but we have coins with two sides always. Realization of the positive side and its practice is not only hard to recognize but difficult to accept as well. Critic...
3 comments
Read more