Plans for cars that drive themselves on UK motorways are unlikely to be implemented from 2021 after insurers warned that government proposals risk lives and are “utterly wrong”.
Cars with the technology to automatically stay in lane, accelerate and brake will be on the road next year, and ministers had suggested that drivers take control of their vehicles at speeds of up to 100 km / h could drop off on highways.
However, the Association of British Insurers and the independent Thatcham Research Institute have warned that the use of Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) would pose a serious threat to road safety if the systems were legally classified as “automated”, which means that drivers take their hands could from the steering wheel.
While insurers and Thatcham support the adoption of more automation – and believe that fully automated cars are safer than human drivers – they said current technology is a “quantum leap” away from what was needed.
The automated system might have to return control to a human driver within three seconds to avert high-speed collisions. However, research by insurers found that it takes 15 seconds for the driver to be sufficiently busy to react to avoid a hazard around 500 meters away on a motorway.
Vehicles with ALKS, as they are currently configured, can neither change lanes nor react to the red X signal on an intelligent motorway portal, which indicates that a lane in front of them is blocked. Thatcham also believes that in an emergency they might not spot debris or even people on the street.
Thatcham and the ABI are preparing a joint paper outlining their security concerns with the government. A consultation on proposals will conclude next week before any changes to motor vehicle legislation are made in the spring.
Matthew Avery, Thatcham’s director of research, said that while insurers were happy that ALKS was classified as assisted driving – where the input of the car is always ultimately controlled by a human driver – it has “major legal and liability issues” as well as safety issues gave with a system where the driver would give up control.
Avery said, “They didn’t think it through and they got it very wrong. It’s a small step from a technology point of view, but a big step from a philosophical point of view. What we are missing is how consumers will react and use it.
“The idea of automation is wholeheartedly supported by insurers. But you can’t take steps towards automation – either the car will drive or not. We can’t have drivers there who are watching Netflix and supposedly ready to take control. “
He added, “The government’s proposed schedule for the introduction of automated technologies needs to be revised. It’s just not safe enough and its introduction will put the lives of British motorists at risk. “
Ministers were keen to promote the UK as a world leader in autonomous vehicle development and to take steps to revise the legislation to allow for the early adoption of driverless cars.
However, the safety of UK motorways has received special scrutiny since the introduction of smart highways which allow more traffic by removing the hard shoulder and blocking the lanes with signals when necessary. Thatcham said there were 70 accidents in 2019 caused by cars driving in a closed lane and that cars with ALKS would either miss the signals or simply stop and create an additional hazard.
