Self-driving cars are not yet safe enough to hit the roads

Despite warnings that self-driving cars are not yet safe to hit the roads, the government is pushing ahead with making automated vehicles (AVs) legal. But their rush to get driverless cars approved before the technology is ready is irresponsible – and could turn our roads into a giant testing ground. This would bring risks not only to other drivers, but to those using the AVs themselves.

The government has heralded AVs as the start of a transport revolution and the solution to road safety concerns. Indeed, research has suggested that AVs could create 342,000 additional jobs in the UK, bring in £66 billion to the economy by 2040 and improve the mobility of the disabled and the elderly. Although the potential benefits of AVs should not be dismissed, this is all a fantasy unless their technology is sound.