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Select committee inquiry

Motoring of the future

Closed

Transport Committee · Opened 17 June 2014 · Closed 24 July 2015

3 recommendations · 17 conclusions
Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

What the inquiry looked at

“Follow on Storify: Motoring of the future inquiry Motoring of the future: terms of reference This inquiry examines how the UK Government can address developments in motoring technology, notably alternative fuels, safety improvements and driver aids. On 30 July 2014 the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced measures to facilitate the introduction of driverless vehicles on UK roads from January 2015. Dr Vince Cable MP announced a £10 million competition where cities can bid to become a test location for driverless vehicles. Ministers also launched a review into road regulation to "establish how the UK can remain at the forefront of driverless car technology" and ensure regulation is appropriate for testing driverless cars in the UK. Department for Business Innovation & Skills: Driverless vehicles press notice (external site)”

The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.

What it found

In the committee's words, from the summary of 8th Report - Motoring of the future ↗

Motoring is being transformed by new materials, new fuels and information technology.

However, the Government must act if people and businesses in the UK are to obtain the full benefit of this ongoing automotive revolution.

We found that the Department for Transport (DfT) is yet to set out a comprehensive strategy to link the introduction of new automotive technology to the achievement of its policy goals. It should develop a comprehensive vision to shape motoring of the future in partnership with other Government Departments and agencies. This strategy needs to set out a co-ordinated set of actions to:

• reduce or eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the roads; • cut emissions from road transport; • increase road capacity; • facilitate social inclusion and accessibility of road transport; and • support economic growth.

We welcome the publication of the DfT’s regulatory review, The pathway to driverless cars.

However, the DfT must set out the detail on how it will reform legislation and regulation to support that review. For example, manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles may well be running together on UK roads in the near future. The DfT must provide certainty for the public and for the automotive industry by explaining how vehicles will be certified and tested, how drivers will be trained and how driving standards will be regulated, monitored and enforced. It must also consider the issue of liability.

The application of new technology to motoring represents a one-off commercial opening for the UK automotive industry. We therefore welcome the leadership shown by Innovate UK in facilitating the ongoing trials of driverless cars in Greenwich, Bristol and Milton Keynes/Coventry. Looking beyond the domestic market, however, the Government must engage more positively in setting European and international standards to allow UK manufacturers to develop products that are suitable for export. This is a once-in-a-lifetime commercial opportunity, and UK industry needs the Government’s help to seize it.

What the government said

The government responded on 24 July 2015.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response.

The Department for Transport 'welcomes the findings' of the Committee and responds to each recommendation, mainly by pointing to existing strategies and work, including The Pathway to Driverless Cars, and to further work it intends to carry out.

  • On a single vision for future motoring, it points to existing documents that 'together provide a broad framework', and says it 'will consider' the Committee's finding on how best to articulate its ambitions for connected and autonomous vehicles.
  • On incentives for new technologies, it agrees 'the most valuable technologies should be promoted', though the exact mechanism or mechanisms 'would need to be determined on a case-by-case basis'.
  • On ultra-low emission vehicles, it states it will invest £500 million over the next five years and will confirm details 'in due course'. It also says it will review the Plug-in Car Grant.
  • On driverless vehicles, it says a Code of Practice for testing is 'due for publication in the near future', and that The Pathway to Driverless Cars sets out 31 actions for government.

Read the government's response ↗ Read the report ↗ Report an error

How the inquiry ran

Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 17 June 2014 to its close on 24 July 2015.

  1. Oral evidence 4 sessions
  2. Report 6 Mar 2015
  3. Government response 24 Jul 2015

What it recommended 3 recommendations · 17 conclusions

1The DfT has not implemented a coherent, joined-up strategy to link the development and implementation...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The DfT has not implemented a coherent, joined-up strategy to link the development and implementation of new automotive technology to the achievement of its wider policy goals.
2The DfT should develop a comprehensive, accessible vision to shape motoring of the future in...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The DfT should develop a comprehensive, accessible vision to shape motoring of the future in partnership with other Government Departments and agencies. This needs to convey a coherent set of objectives, describe a co-ordinated set of actions necessary to deliver those objectives and make links to the delivery of wider policy objectives. We recommend that the strategy includes six key objectives: • reduced or eliminated fatalities and serious injuries on roads; • reduced emissions from road transport; • increased road capacity through the use of technology rather than road building; • protection for citizens against the risk of cyber-attack; • enhanced social inclusion through more accessible road transport; and • support for economic growth.
3It is clear from the evidence that the DfT needs to conduct further research on...
Concluded (the committee's words)
It is clear from the evidence that the DfT needs to conduct further research on the technical and behavioural aspects of safety systems in vehicles. The initiative to eliminate fatalities and injuries on Sweden’s roads demonstrates how government can link technological development to increase safety by setting targets. We recognise that this approach could deliver benefits in vehicle safety, vehicle-to- vehicle communications and vehicle-to-infrastructure networks. The DfT should consider what impact setting targets to reduce serious injuries and fatalities might have on road safety in the UK.
4The DfT should prepare for a transition period when manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles are...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The DfT should prepare for a transition period when manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles are all running together on UK roads. During the transition period only some of the benefits promised by autonomous vehicles and the application of modern communications technology to motoring will be realised. The full benefits cannot be realised until there is wide uptake of such technologies. It is also important that the DfT clarifies how liabilities will be apportioned in such circumstances.
5The DfT should identify technologies whose introduction needs to be accelerated and devise a range...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The DfT should identify technologies whose introduction needs to be accelerated and devise a range of fiscal and other incentives to increase their rate of adoption. Such an approach would build on current policy in relation to vehicle emissions, where low-emission vehicles are subject to lower rates of vehicle excise duty. In the past, the gradual tightening of certification and testing requirements has reduced engine emissions, and a similar approach could be used now to accelerate take-up. Potential levers to nudge behaviour include type certification, road worthiness standards, mandating the fitting of particular technologies to new and existing vehicles by a specified date, scrappage schemes and fiscal incentives. Some of those levers may be helpful in tackling more than one issue—a scrappage scheme could see improvements to emissions and safety—and the DfT might wish to prioritise measures which help to secure more than one benefit. The DfT should also take account of the relative efficiency and effectiveness of these measures in delivering the changes required.
6Telematics offers an invaluable source of data to inform policy making to improve driving behaviour...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Telematics offers an invaluable source of data to inform policy making to improve driving behaviour and safety. For example, information derived from telematics could be used to manage traffic flows or to inform highways design. Fleet managers are using telematics to improve the driving of their vehicles and insurance companies are collecting data from a growing number of drivers. There is no evidence to suggest that the DfT has taken steps to determine how such new sources of information could be used to inform policy making. The DfT should work with representatives from the whole of the insurance industry and others who hold data on driving—for example, motor manufacturers, manufacturers of satellite navigation systems and fleet owners and operators—to see what use it might make of anonymised data from vehicles and how this can be combined with existing information from the Highways Agency to inform policy. In analysing such data, the DfT must take into account the nature of the information and the extent to which its source may skew the conclusions that can be drawn from it—for example, telematics data from insurance companies may be drawn from self-selecting group of drivers and material from fleet operators who have large numbers of delivery drivers may be atypical.
7The vast quantity of transport data now available presents tremendous opportunities to provide smarter, more...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The vast quantity of transport data now available presents tremendous opportunities to provide smarter, more efficient and more personalised transport systems. However, greater clarity is required on the practical application of data governance legislation. The DfT must ask the Information Commissioner to review the current rules and guidance on access to fleet and driver information and the rights of drivers and other interested parties to access vehicle data and to publish updated guidelines on the collection, access and use of vehicle data.
8Low carbon vehicles are set to make up an increasing proportion of the vehicle fleet...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Low carbon vehicles are set to make up an increasing proportion of the vehicle fleet and will form a key part of the UK’s motoring future. Adoption has been slower than projected, but it is now starting to accelerate. Different technologies are becoming available, but drivers need more incentives to switch to low emission vehicles, confidence that refuelling infrastructure will be available and certainty in the Government’s long-term policies on investment, subsidy and taxation regimes. The creation of OLEV has been a positive step, but implementing its strategy will be challenging. Future fuels can contribute to UK decarbonisation and air quality targets. Government cannot pick a winner, but it can provide certainty for market participants to incentivise investment.
9The DfT should ensure that OLEV: • clarifies long-term policies on investment, subsidy and taxation...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The DfT should ensure that OLEV: • clarifies long-term policies on investment, subsidy and taxation regimes for ULEVs; • sets out an action plan for accelerating the uptake of ULEVs, including an assessment of how different incentives could contribute to that objective; and • defines a strategy to meet European Commission targets on refuelling infrastructure in UK.
10Legislation covering driving, road use and vehicle type approvals—vehicle type approval confirms that a design...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Legislation covering driving, road use and vehicle type approvals—vehicle type approval confirms that a design will meet a particular performance standard—must be revised if autonomous vehicles are to operate on UK roads. The DfT must not allow UK legislation to fall behind both the pace of technological change and legislation in other countries.
11A failure to update legislation in line with the development of new technology may disadvantage...
Concluded (the committee's words)
A failure to update legislation in line with the development of new technology may disadvantage the UK automotive industry.
12We welcome the publication of the Government’s regulatory review, The pathway to driverless cars, and...
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the publication of the Government’s regulatory review, The pathway to driverless cars, and the roadmap that it sets out for changes to the legislative and regulatory framework. However, this high-level consideration will need to be supported by further work to identify exactly which legislation requires amendment if it is to have a significant impact.
13The DfT should provide underpinning detail to support the legislative and other changes that it...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The DfT should provide underpinning detail to support the legislative and other changes that it identified in its regulatory review. In doing so, it should articulate what changes it expects in the processes and systems for checking and enforcing compliance, and how it intends to ensure that its motoring agencies have the appropriate skills and knowledge to maintain and update testing and certification regimes.
14It is important that the certification and testing regimes keep pace with developments in technology.
Concluded (the committee's words)
It is important that the certification and testing regimes keep pace with developments in technology. These regimes have been used successfully in the past to encourage the take up of particular technologies and they have a role to play now. The DfT must bear in mind that new technologies are already being deployed in production vehicles and that some of the issues that the evidence to our inquiry and the review have identified, such as clarification of liabilities, are already live issues.
15We welcome the trials of driverless cars announced in December 2014 and the leadership shown...
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the trials of driverless cars announced in December 2014 and the leadership shown by Innovate UK on ensuring the UK is well positioned to seize the commercial opportunities created by new automotive technologies.
16Public confidence will depend on knowing that these technologies can be deployed safely on real...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Public confidence will depend on knowing that these technologies can be deployed safely on real roads and with all the unpredictability of real traffic flows.
17We welcome the approach set out by the DfT in The pathway to driverless cars...
Concluded (the committee's words)
We welcome the approach set out by the DfT in The pathway to driverless cars and look forward to seeing the proposed code of conduct.
18As well as updating the regulatory framework, the DfT will need to examine how drivers...
Concluded (the committee's words)
As well as updating the regulatory framework, the DfT will need to examine how drivers are taught and how driving standards are monitored and enforced. New technologies open up possibilities for monitoring driving and periodically testing drivers, but those technologies also raise serious questions about privacy. The DfT faces the challenge of ensuring that drivers keep up with evolving technology and maintain an appropriate standard of driving. The DfT should undertake research on emerging models for driver training and the role new technologies might play in improving driving standards. Such research would need to address privacy, data ownership and data protection.
19The Government should engage positively in setting European and international standards to allow UK manufacturers...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Government should engage positively in setting European and international standards to allow UK manufacturers to exploit new technology by developing products that are suitable for export and to secure the benefits of new technology for UK drivers.
20The DfT should set out how it will address barriers to the adoption of new...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The DfT should set out how it will address barriers to the adoption of new technology other than the regulatory ones it has identified in The pathway to driverless cars.

Evidence

Oral evidence sessions 4