The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has warned that unless legislation is passed before the next general election the rollout of self-driving cars could be delayed by “around four years.
Under the Automated Vehicles (AV) Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons in early March, self-driving vehicles should be on the roads by 2026. However, the trade association said if the legislation is delayed until after the general election, they would not be permitted on UK roads until 2030.
Industry and government have invested around £600 million in self-driving vehicle trials since 2015.
The SMMT said that with the EU and US having already outlined regulatory frameworks and rolled out the technology on public roads, this delay would put the UK at a disadvantage.
According to the motor association, self-driving vehicles could add £38 billion to the UK economy and save around 3,200 lives between now until 2040 if the bill is passed before the next general election.
The SMMT said the public was keen to have self-driving vehicles, citing research by YouGov which showed that nearly a third of adults would use an automated vehicle if it was available today.
“Backing the AV Bill now is fundamental if Britain is to not only develop but deploy self-driving passenger cars and services,” said Mike Haws, chief executive of the SMMT. “We have the foundations, but other major markets are stealing a march, with regulation already in place allowing them to benefit from UK-developed self-driving tech that cannot be rolled out here.”
He continued: “Any further delay risks leaving Britain in the slow lane, jeopardising our competitiveness and holding back the significant safety and economic rewards self-driving technology can deliver.”
While research conducted in partnership with SMMT found that self-driving vehicles could prevent up to 53,000 serious accidents over the next 16 years if the legislation goes through this year, there have recently been some well-publicised cases of the technology causing industry.
Last year, the BBC reported that around 600 autonomous cards made by General Motors were being investigated over reports of injuries to pedestrians in the US.
Waymo also recently recalled software previously used in its autonomous vehicle fleet after two cars crashed into the same pickup truck.
The company said that in December, a Waymo robotaxi driving in Phoenix, United States hit a backwards facing pickup truck being “improperly towed” ahead of the car so that the truck was persistently angled across a centre turn lane and a traffic lane.
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