As part of the roll-out, the Government has pledged to spend an additional £100 million to facilitate autonomous vehicles, including £34 million towards new research and a further £20 million spent on commercial services. 

Alongside this, ministers have committed to bringing forward new laws to support the introduction of self-driving cars by 2025. This new legislation would implicate manufacturers as responsible for a vehicle’s actions, meaning human drivers would not be liable for any incidents related to driving. 

Users won’t need to hold a driving licence as the vehicle will undertake the entire journey without needing human input. The technology works by using a combination of lasers, cameras and radar to recognise objects, like other cars and pedestrians, to plot a course and navigate the car.

There are a few different levels of autonomous control. Some vehicles have driverless features which can be turned on or off by the driver, but other cars won’t need any human interaction at all.

Vehicles capable of driving themselves on motorways could be available to purchase within the next year, though users will need a valid driving licence to drive one.

The Government will also seek to determine regulatory guidelines for the governance of self-driving vehicles. The safety ambition for self-driving cars is to be as competent and careful as a safe human driver. 

This ambition would inform minimum benchmarks that vehicles need to meet before being allowed on our roads. Likewise, organisations such as manufacturers could face sanctions if these standards are not met.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “We want the UK to be at the forefront of developing and using this fantastic technology, and that is why we are investing millions in vital research into the safety and setting the legislation to ensure we gain the full benefits that this technology promises.”

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The platform is the UK’s first Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology, which has been developed by a consortium led by Vodafone, Nokia and Chordant. Its purpose is to improve the safety of all road users by combining modern mobile technologies with intelligent in-vehicle systems.

Drivers that have opted-in to the service will be provided with real-time road information on the go. The localised and targeted updates will include anything from lane closures to speed restrictions and traffic accidents.

To begin with, the notifications will be available through drivers’ smartphones, but the technology will be introduced to in-car systems in the future. Authorities are also trialling its use in easing traffic jams and hope that it could eventually allow emergency services to respond to incidents more efficiently.

Furthermore, the project is seen as taking an important first step in the innovation and technology needed to safely introduce self-driving vehicles to UK roads.

Vodafone stated that in 2020, over 70% of all cars were built with digital telematics capabilities, which will only help to create a more streamlined and connected transport ecosystem.

Luke Ibbetson, Head of Group R&D at Vodafone, said: “It’s fantastic to see vehicle-to-everything mobile technology being deployed on the open road for the first time in the UK. Meanwhile, we are working with the automotive industry and road operators to have the technology integrated within vehicles and transport infrastructure to make our roads safer.”

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It also revealed that concern was higher among female drivers and road users over the age of 70. This comes despite evidence that the main cause of most incidents on the road is human error.

While giving greater control to the technology within automated vehicles could reduce accidents, the charity believes that this will only be the case if drivers are trained to use new systems correctly.

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research, said: “Autonomous and automated vehicle technology is becoming an integral part of everyday motoring and while it does have the capacity to improve road safety, its capabilities must be fully understood to ensure we don’t over-rely on them.

‘Over-reliance on these systems, and a lack of training on how to use them, could have a negative effect, with potentially worrying results for motorists and pedestrians alike”.

If government projections are correct, around 40 per cent of new car sales in the UK could have self-driving features in less than 15 years. Many claim this will benefit the economy financially and through the creation of more jobs.

“As an ever-increasing number of vehicle systems take on the tasks that drivers used to perform, IAM RoadSmart is calling for an understanding of automated features to be included in the UK driving test”, Greig added. 

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These include: implementing a safety assurance scheme (including the continued monitoring of vehicles’ performance and software updates), defining the responsibilities of the driver and recognising the role of manufacturers.

Automated vehicles will fall into two different categories: one for vehicles which can complete sections of the journey itself (during motorway driving, for example) but would require a human to take over the rest of the way, and one for those which can perform an entire journey without the need for an accompanying person.

When the car is driving itself, but a person is needed in the vehicle, the individual becomes the ‘user-in-charge’. This means that they are responsible for certain details (like insurance) but not for driving the vehicle.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said: “Self-driving vehicles can contribute to improving and levelling up transport across the country, making everyday journeys greener, safer, more flexible and more reliable.

“The UK is leading the way on the regulation of this technology, supporting innovation and putting safety at the heart of everything we do – ensuring self-driving vehicles are safe, secure and ultimately benefit all of society.”

The upcoming framework will be “underpinned by robust incident investigation and enforced through a flexible range of regulatory powers and sanctions”, the Law Commissions said.

These legal plans have been published as the final consultation from the Law Commissions after being tasked with the review by the UK Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV). The full report is expected to be released in the last quarter of the year.

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