Select committee: Transport Committee
Conclusion 2
Seventh Report - Self-driving vehicles
Published 15 Sep 2023
Paragraph 34
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Self-driving vehicles All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Hopefully expectations of self-driving vehicle technology have become more realistic. Self-driving vehicles that can go anywhere at any time remain purely hypothetical, but in more circumscribed forms they can become reality. Nobody is likely to be taking a self-driving vehicle the whole way from Land’s End to John o’ Groats anytime soon, if ever, but self-driving bus services may become commonplace sooner rather than later.
From: Transport Committee, Seventh Report - Self-driving vehicles (HC 519), paragraph 34, 15 September 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 24 November 2023 (deadline 15 November 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government accepts the Committee's recommendations on a gradual introduction of self-driving vehicles and on bringing forward legislation, partially accepts two others, notes one, and does not accept the Committee's view on the safety ambition.
- On legislation, the government "accepts this recommendation" and states it is bringing the Automated Vehicles Bill to the fourth Parliamentary session, as announced in the King's Speech on 7 November 2023.
- It does not accept the Committee's view that the safety threshold should be more stretching. It argues that setting too high a level of ambition "could have the effect of stifling the introduction of the technology", and considers a competent and careful driver standard "an appropriate ambition at this time".
- On driver skills and a strategy for human driving, it "partially accepts". It says work is underway as part of its CAVPASS programme to consider education, training and licensing needs, and changes have already been made to The Highway Code.
- On unresolved policy issues such as data, roadworthiness and liability, it "has noted this recommendation". It points to the Automated Vehicles Bill, with specific requirements to be set out in secondary legislation "subject to public consultation".