Select committee: Transport Committee
Recommendation 11
Seventh Report - Self-driving vehicles
Published 15 Sep 2023
Paragraph 103
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Self-driving vehicles All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The self-driving vehicle sector is a British success story. We were impressed, unfailingly so, by the energy, creativity, and expertise of all those we met, whether from industry, academia, Government or somewhere in between. We have a competitive advantage, and we must maintain it. To do this the Government must bring forward and pass comprehensive legislation in the next parliamentary session to put in place the robust regulatory framework it promised. Failing to do so will do significant and lasting damage both to the UK’s self-driving vehicle industry and to this country’s reputation as a trailblazer. We recommend that legislation be brought forward as a matter of urgency, with an expectation that any legislation will have to be regularly reviewed and updated subsequently as technology evolves.
From: Transport Committee, Seventh Report - Self-driving vehicles (HC 519), paragraph 103, 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".