Engineering news
The government has launched a £20 million competitive fund for collaborative research and development into driverless vehicles, along with a code of practice for testing on UK roads and public places.
The announcement calls for bidders to put forward proposals in areas such as safety, reliability, how vehicles can communicate with each other and the environment around them and how driverless vehicles can help give an ageing population greater independence. Successful bidders will match fund projects with their own money.
The new code of practice released by government provides guidance to anyone wishing to conduct testing of automated vehicle technologies on public roads or other public places in the UK. The code applies to the testing of a wide range of vehicles, from smaller automated pods and shuttles, through to cars, vans and heavy duty vehicles.
The measures announced by transport minister Andrew Jones said: “Driverless cars will bring great benefits to our society and economy and I want the UK to lead the way in developing this exciting technology. Our code of practice clearly shows that the UK is in the best position when it comes to testing driverless cars and embracing the motoring of the future. We now look forward to working with industry to make this a reality.”
The code of practice includes general recommendations for maintaining safety and minimising potential risk. This covers common sense advice such as vehicle tests on public roads having to obey all relevant road traffic laws and that statutory requirements on the holding of insurance will apply whilst a vehicle is being tested. It also provides recommendations on testing organisations developing a public relations and media communications strategy to educate the public regarding the potential benefits of automated vehicles.
Further recommendations include the need for automated vehicles to have successfully completed in-house testing on closed roads or tracks before it can be tested on public roads or places. When in 'real-world' environments a test driver/operator must oversee testing and be able to apply an emergency stop control.
It also states that automated vehicles are required to be fitted with a data recording device capable of capturing data from the sensor and control systems as well as other information concerning the vehicle's movement. The issue of cyber security is also raised, with manufacturers and testers asked to ensure that “all prototype automated controllers and other vehicle systems have appropriate levels of security built into them to manage any risk of unauthorised access”.
The government stated that the publication of the code of practice is non-statutory and developed to promote responsible testing, alongside "detailed knowledge of the legal, regulatory and technological landscape". However, failure to follow the code may be “relevant to liability in any legal proceedings. Similarly, compliance with the code does not guarantee immunity from liability in such circumstances”.
The Department for Transport and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have also established the new joint policy unit, the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C-CAV), which will co-ordinate government policy on driverless cars and connected technology. C-CAV is currently working on a range of new technological developments, including plans to test new roadside communication technology to improve traffic flow and safety through ‘connected corridors’. This would pilot technology that will provide drivers with useful journey and safety information.
Professor Nick Reed, technical lead of the GATEWay project, an £8 million automated transport project funded by industry and Innovate UK, and academy director at TRL, said: “Much research and development is required before driverless cars become commonplace on our streets, but the launch of the code of practice brings this vision a step closer. It sets the scene for the safe evaluation and development of highly and fully automated vehicles for years to come and is another example of how the UK is leading the charge in this area. Combined with the £20m funding and the launch of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, the UK is now firmly positioned at the centre of future mobility.”