Driverless cars must be even safer than the most competent motorist if the number of people injured or killed on Britain’s roads is to be reduced, personal injury lawyers say.
The opportunity presented by self-driving technology to make Britain’s roads safer for all should not be missed, according to the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
“Driverless cars must be safer than the most competent human driver. Even the very best, very safest, and most diligent motorist can make a mistake, the consequences of which can be fatal. The biggest benefit of driverless car technology must surely be the removal of human error,” said Toby Konarzewski, executive committee member of APIL.
He was speaking as the Department for Transport, in conjunction with the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicle, called for evidence to inform safety principles for self-driving vehicles.
Self-driving taxis arrived on London’s streets for the first time earlier this year, with most newer cars having some form of self-driving, or ‘autonomous,’ capability, such as lane assist and cruise control.
“Studies show that driver error is the primary cause of crashes in the UK. Thousands of people are killed or seriously injured on our roads each year. Driverless cars are an opportunity to make radical improvements in road safety,” said Toby.
“But how they perform during evasive manoeuvres, emergency braking, and in negotiating complex road junctions must be rigorously assessed before they become the norm on the roads. During most journeys there can be unexpected, potentially dangerous, things that happen, such as a child suddenly running into the road. They must also actively seek to protect the most vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists who are at the highest risk of serious injury if involved in a collision.
“There are circumstances where human drivers will have the ability to react quickly to avoid a collision as we are free thinking and have the benefit of considered foresight. Driverless cars must be able to better these sharp and calculated reactions to danger, so the public is not put at risk,” he said.
“Meticulous annual evaluations of driverless vehicle safety will need to be carried out, and any crashes or near misses must be thoroughly investigated and learned from. Getting the safety principles of self-driving vehicles right could position the UK at the forefront of this rapidly changing area internationally,” he added.