Concerns are mounting amongst the AV technology sector in the UK at the government’s failure to pass promised laws to regulate the technology. Driverless cars are not currently permitted on Britain's roads, which is making it difficult to commercialise and assess risks associated with the technology.
The government had said that it would pass legislation in the current parliamentary session, providing detailed regulations by 2025. That now seems unlikely.
According to the UK government it expects around 40% of new cars to have self-driving capabilities by 2035 in a market worth £42bn to Britain. But while several ministers have been lobbying on behalf of the sector, there seems to be no urgency in government to provide a Transport Bill or even a separate AV bill.
The worry must be that, yet again, a failure by government to act will hand a competitive advantage to other countries, which are already putting regulations in place.
What’s so frustrating is that the UK government has been supportive of AV startups, with its Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles securing private and government funding for more than 90 projects.
A failure to implement a co-ordinated approach when it comes to AV technology could, once again, see dynamic start-ups and businesses heading overseas. The government needs to take this issue seriously and act quickly.
