Insurers Call for U.K. to Slow Down on Autonomous Vehicles

The U.K. insurance industry’s research center is not sure the country is ready for driverless cars.

Thatcham Research says the U.K.’s car fleet has a long way to go before it makes the most of existing autonomous technology already tested, proven and readily available.

CEO Peter Shaw says the government announcement indicating it will allow driverless cars on U.K. roads in just five months’ time sets an ambitious target.

“We fully support the automation of safety features such as braking/steering, where the vehicle intervenes to avoid a crash, but we must recognize that fully driverless cars require a great deal more comprehensive testing and development before they can be made commercially available in the U.K. – or anywhere in the world,” he says in a statement.

Shaw supports the controlled testing the government is encouraging.

“In the meantime we are calling on the U.K. government to materially support proposed financial incentives designed to encourage more car makers to fit existing autonomous emergency-braking (AEB) technology as standard, and save more than 1,200 lives over the next 10 years alone.”

Thatcham has been researching and testing AEB systems for three years and has carried out hundreds of tests on a wide range of new vehicles.

“The evidence from our testing is undeniable, and combined with a growing body of real world research and evidence, we firmly believe that AEB and other advanced driver-assist systems have a critical role to play in safer roads for the future,” he says.

“Fully driverless cars may take a while longer to gain widespread acceptance.”