The notion of a driverless fleet may seem far-fetched, but experts predict that the first autonomous cars will be on UK roads within five years.

A licensed driver will still have to be prepared to take control of the vehicle, but onboard systems will undertake large parts of the journey.

Fully-automated cars will follow and what seems like science fiction today could quickly become a reality in a  relatively short space of time.

The Government has committed an initial £19 million in an effort to secure the UK’s share of what is expected to be  a £900 billion industry by 2025. But, whether the driver will go the same way as the man with the red flag remains to be seen.      

Paula Marie Brown from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) explains: “Driverless vehicles have huge potential to transform the UK’s transport network. They could improve road safety, reduce congestion and lower emissions. But there are important challenges to address before these cars can be mainstream on our roads.”

A sceptical public will need to be convinced, for starters. Polling suggests that the technology has so far failed to capture people’s imagination. In a recent survey, commissioned by the IET, only a quarter of men, and less than a fifth of women, said they would definitely consider using a driverless car.

It followed a Fleet News poll that showed almost three-quarters (71.6%) of respondents would not run an autonomous car on their fleet.

A surprising result, considering the technology could potentially cut CO2 emissions, fuel costs and at-fault incidents for thousands of companies.

Experts suggest a lack of trust in the technology is the cause, which is understandable given its infancy.

However, company car and van drivers have been using autonomous features for several years. The majority of new cars are fitted with anti-lock braking systems (ABS), which allow sensors to release the brakes momentarily – despite the driver’s actions – preventing the wheels from locking.

Electronic stability control (ESC), which applies the brakes on one wheel at a time to improve cornering, is becoming more commonplace and recent developments such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) give the vehicle the ability to apply the brakes, without driver intervention, if an obstacle is detected ahead.

Cars are also now entering the fleet that can maintain their position within the white lines on a motorway and steer into the tightest parking spot, without the driver lifting a finger.

The success of autonomous cars does not simply rest on winning the hearts and minds of company car drivers. It will require road traffic legislation to be overhauled, the Highway Code to be rewritten and questions over who or what would be liable in the event of an accident answered.

Everything from driving licences to vehicle design will have to be re-evaluated, with the Government officially beginning that process last month.

The Department for Transport (DfT) gave the green light to the first public trials of driverless cars in February after a review of regulations concluded there was “no barrier to testing driverless technology on UK roads”.

Trials of autonomous vehicles have been approved in Bristol, Coventry, Milton Keynes and Greenwich as part of the £19m programme. On-road testing will feature real-world evaluation of passenger cars with increasing levels of autonomy, and the development and evaluation of lightweight, fully-autonomous self-driving pods for pedestrianised spaces.

They will include public tests of fully automated passenger shuttle transport systems and autonomous valet parking of adapted cars. The DfT says the trials will also investigate the legal and insurance aspects of driverless cars and explore public reactions.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams says: “The Government would do well to produce a green paper or substantial weight of research that explains in detail the benefits to the public of the new technology, and a framework for a phased introduction beyond trials. That way motorists could get a much clearer sense of what a driverless future could look like.” 

• A new report from the University of Michigan in America claims that autonomous cars could actually worsen accident rates during the long transition period when driverless and driver-controlled vehicles will share the roads. To find out more, go to fleetnews.co.uk/autonomous-safety

Road signs and markings must be fixed

Technology used in driverless cars won’t work without a ‘fully functioning road infrastructure’, according to the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA).

Lidar sensors – used by autonomous cars – help detect the edges of roads and identify lane markings by bouncing pulses of light off the vehicle’s surroundings. However, the RSMA’s most recent survey of the UK road network showed that half of markings  on local authority roads in England needed replacing  immediately, or should be scheduled for replacement. Just 12% of markings on local authority roads were classed as ‘excellent’.

Highways England roads fared little better, with  52% of markings on motorways needing immediate  replacement or scheduled for replacement and only  17% of markings on all roads were rated as excellent.

George Lee, national director of the RSMA, says: “By 2025, more than half the travel on Europe’s roads will be in vehicles which can read the road ahead including markings and signs. But vehicles, like drivers, cannot function if basic road markings and signs are worn out, non-compliant, inconsistent or confusing; and roadworks, potholes and failed traffic lights continue to present every-day obstacles to road users.”

The DfT’s review of regulations says it “would  be reasonable to assume that vehicle manufacturers  will ensure their products are robust to typical  road conditions”.

However, it acknowledges what passes as reasonable now may not be when automated vehicles are part of the equation, and it is possible that “highway authorities may need to update and improve” the maintenance of road markings and signs.

“Driverless car trials in towns and cities are  exciting, but getting the basic network in shape first is  fundamental to success,” says Lee.

“The network must be fixed long before autonomous vehicles can work on our roads.”

Insurance claims – who pays the bill?

Perhaps the most commonly asked question regarding driverless and automated vehicles is: whose fault would it be if there was a collision – the operator or occupant, or the vehicle  manufacturer? In highly autonomous vehicles, the Government believes it would be reasonable to assume liability would only pass back to the driver when and if the driver willingly chooses to resume manual control. As automated vehicles gain market share, the DfT suggests issues concerning liability may need to be monitored, to ensure existing legislation is working correctly to protect consumers and the general public.

“There may be concerns about the changed nature of liability claims, where these are brought as actions about the condition of the vehicle,” the DfT’s legal review states. “The impact on the cost and ability to bring claims against vehicle manufacturers will be something to keep very much in mind, particularly if it makes ordinary claims more difficult to bring forward and dependent on a need for expert witnesses.”

In a fully automated vehicle, there may be no controls available for an occupant to be able to take manual control. As a result, the question of liability may be simplified, says the DfT: “If it is judged that the occupants of vehicles such as  these cannot be held liable in the event of a collision, there is still a question as  to whether there is a case for users to bear some form of financial liability.”

This could be in the form of mandatory insurance. At least one unnamed company developing driverless cars has suggested that the company itself should be held responsible for any road traffic offences the vehicle may commit.

The DfT report concludes: “Fully automated vehicle use on public roads would clearly require a further comprehensive review and fresh legislation to address some of these fundamental questions over driver versus vehicle liability.”

Service, maintenance and repair costs are likely to rise

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is concerned that the service and repair sector does not yet have the skills and infrastructure in place to deal with  autonomous cars.

IMI CEO Steve Nash is calling on businesses to take steps to address this issue.

“Businesses must begin investing in training  on the latest vehicle technologies in order to meet future demands,” he says.

“Even if driverless cars do not become common, their development will accelerate the inclusion of driver aid and driver safety systems on modern vehicles, raising the skills requirement to work on them.”

The DfT acknowledges that this is likely to have an impact on the costs of repair.

EU legislation regarding access to repair and  maintenance information requires that  manufacturers commit to making repair information  available on a non-discriminatory basis to official  dealerships and independent repairers alike, and certain minimum information must be included on websites as part of vehicle type approval.

However, an automated vehicle is likely to be particularly complex, and utilise proprietary technology extensively, so manufacturers may not wish to permit or enable repair by other parties.

“They may be concerned that their intellectual property will be stolen if they reveal programing codes and they might also be concerned with the potential for those of criminal intent to gain knowledge that enables them to hack into vehicles,” says the DfT report.

“This is a pertinent issue that will need to be addressed as automated vehicles become more prevalent.”

Cyber security worries

Attacks by hackers are one of the biggest threats to the widespread adoption of driverless or semi- autonomous vehicles, say experts.

Hugh Boyes, cyber lead at the  IET, says: “If we have the hacker community start to target vehicles, we can imagine a fair amount of chaos. We just have to look at what happens in London when one vehicle breaks down on a major artery into the city – the tailbacks that rapidly occur.”

The DfT says vehicle manufacturers will need to  ensure their electronic systems are robust when it comes to the latest cyber-crime techniques.

UN Regulation 116 is formulated to ensure that  vehicle manufacturers put in place measures to prevent unauthorised use. If it is felt that further regulation is required to ensure that manufacturers adequately address cyber security issues, then the DfT says it  may be have to be updated.

Given the data that may be collected by a vehicle, such as GPS data and camera recordings, there may also be concerns that information on the movements of a vehicle or its location could be extracted without authorisation, an issue that has been highlighted by the British Vehicle Leasing and Rental Association (BVRLA).

The DfT report concludes: “Government will remain vigilant to the need for regulatory intervention to ensure the public’s safety if necessary.”