Self-driving cars and buses: Your guide to the future of autonomous vehicles

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Vehicles that take care of themselves and the driver are the future, according to the government, which in the King’s Speech on 7 November that “self-driving vehicles will make transport safer, more convenient and more accessible, improving the lives of millions of people.” It went on to state: “With 88 per cent of accidents currently involving human error, the potential for automated vehicles to reduce costs, injuries, and fatalities is enormous. They will empower people across the country to get around more easily, including to school or work which will boost productivity.” The 2023 King’s Speech promised that “ministers will introduce new legal frameworks to support the safe commercial development of emerging industries, such as self-driving vehicles.” But there are concerns about introducing autonomous vehicles on the roads of Britain. The most worrying threat according to the Transport Select Committee is of “a large cyber-terrorist attack targeting the operating systems of many self-driving vehicles simultaneously could cause mass casualties.” Ashley Feldman, Transport and Smart Cities programme and policy manager at a trade body, Tech UK, set out several “significant” risks to the committee, saying: “Your steering, your braking, your acceleration and even the operation of the airbags … could be taken over by a malicious actor.” Jesse Norman, minister for Decarbonisation and Technology, told the MPs: “In some respects it looks like it is inevitable, that there will be and that some of them will be successful.” The MPs are also concerned about the with erosion of driver skills as motorists get used to the easy life. “Safety must remain the government’s overriding priority as self-driving vehicles encounter real-world complexity.” The government says there will not be a big, sudden switchover, saying: “We are at the beginning of this journey, and human drivers will share the roads with self-driving vehicles for many years to come.” Will I need to take another driving test?