The UK government is expected to allow automated cars on certain UK motorways this year that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and take their eyes off the road.
Read also: Tesla plays it safe on the autonomous car
In a statement Wednesday, the Department of Transport (DfT) said it would allow hands-on-the-wheel automated driving with technologies to stay in the same lane for low-traffic highways, and at high speed. maximum of 37 miles per hour (60 km / h).
The government intends to rely on a technology known as an Automated Lane Keeping System (ALKS).
The technology, which has been the subject of an international agreement to enable the development of self-driving cars, allows the driver to temporarily relinquish control of the vehicle but must be seated in the driver's seat and able to resume driving.
38,000 jobs could be created
The system, intended for single and separate highway lanes, relies on sensors and cameras to keep a vehicle in a lane, with a minimum distance from the next vehicle. The DfT describes the ALKS as the “
traffic jam conductor
” technology. If it detects "
an imminent risk of collision
" it sets up emergency maneuvers, in particular braking or changing direction.
According to the ministry, the technology could improve road safety because human errors "
contribute to more than 85% of accidents
". He also estimates that 38,000 jobs could be created in the UK and that the UK self-driving car industry could be worth £ 42 billion by 2035.
Jim Holder, editorial director of the automotive magazine What Car ?, believes that the new policy is a "
sensible first step
" towards autonomous driving with "
very, very controlled conditions, at low speeds, relatively straight roads, clear markings
", questioned by the agency PA., He adds that this announcement "
puts the United Kingdom back in the race
" for autonomous cars because the country is "
a little behind
" the United States and China ".
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, which specializes in transport policy research, says the transfer of control between machine and human is difficult.
Drivers can rely too much on automated systems, not to mention a crucial few seconds of latency when the driver regains control in an emergency, he explains.
"
We shouldn't be in a race to get the driver's hands off the steering wheel
,
"
said AA Motorists Association president Edmund King, noting that there are "
still flaws in the way this technology detects. and stop the vehicle
”.
To read also: Jean-François Bonnefon: "The autonomous car poses dizzying ethical questions"
Fears about the safety of self-driving cars were rekindled after the fatal crash of a seemingly driverless Tesla in Texas a few days ago.
Tesla assures that it was "probable" that a person was behind the wheel and that his driver assistance software was not activated.