By Johnny Sharp

The debate over their benefits and safety risks may be ongoing, but the question surrounding autonomous cars on UK roads is no longer ‘if’, but ‘when’. The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 was enacted in May and sets a legal platform for the introduction of self-driving vehicles to be introduced to UK roads within the next two years.

Yet it’s not always fully appreciated to what extent modern vehicles are already helping us drive more safely. When you buy a new car now, for instance, key components of the technology that will be employed in driverless cars are already at your fingertips, from parking guides and sensors to cruise control.

Just how safe is driverless technology?

Numerous studies have concluded that overall, automated vehicles are safer (if not without their flaws) including surveys of autonomous vehicles already in existence. With the most common factors causing collisions on our roads being excessive speed, drink driving and distraction, taking human faults out of the equation could save lives.

Technological advances also deliver clear advantages in non-autonomous cars – but only when utilised effectively. Earlier this year, Jaguar Land Rover found that 41 percent of drivers weren’t sure how to operate advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that are fitted as standard in new cars and were unclear as to the benefits. 

Thomas Mueller, JLR Executive Director of Product Engineering, told the Birmingham Mail: “Road safety in Europe has improved significantly in the last decade thanks in part to technological advances such as mandatory fitting of ADAS systems to new cars.

“It is vital that drivers learn about the systems fitted to their cars."

British motorists could evidently do with such help, as they are proving stubbornly resistant to the notion of letting an autonomous vehicle do the job for them. A study by online car-changing marketplace Carwow concluded that 60 percent of survey respondents said they would not be comfortable as a passenger, with barely a fifth saying they would. 

There may be a middle lane within this debate, though, that shows the way ahead – the only caveat is that it could involve a backseat driver or two.

Researchers from the Human Factors Research Group at the University of Nottingham found that having more than just the person behind the wheel present in the vehicle is beneficial in semi-autonomous vehicles. In these cars, they can be left to drive themselves in situations like traffic jams and when cruising on the motorway.

However, the driver is required to be available to take back control when the need arises, and it was at this point that researchers found that having another pair of eyes on the road was often helpful. 

“We observed passengers providing help and assistance to drivers during manual takeovers of the vehicles,” said Dr David R Large, who led the study, “And sharing the responsibility of keeping the focus on the road when needed.”

The RAC Foundation, who commissioned the study, welcomed the findings. Its Director, Steve Gooding, commented: “Many motorists will be used to the unwanted contributions of a proverbial ‘backseat driver’ but this research shows that when it comes to controlling a semi-autonomous car a front-seat passenger might genuinely help the person behind the wheel.

“The irony is that whilst fully self-driving cars aim to do away with human input, semi-autonomous vehicles will still demand people to have some control. Unfortunately, this study – like the ones we previously commissioned – shows that the handover process between human and machine is less than smooth and far from quick, raising serious questions as to whether this sort of intermediate technology will ever become commonplace, let alone safe.”

Image: concept of self-driving car; credit: Shutterstock.