Clear safety standards and honest marketing needed for self-driving cars

ITS UK responds to government consultations on automated vehicles

Intelligent Transport Systems UK says there is a need for both robust safety principles and accurate marketing to build public confidence in automated vehicles (AVs).

ITS UK has published its responses to two Department for Transport consultations on the regulation of AVs

The first consultation on a Statement of Safety Principles (SoSP) proposes a framework to ensure AVs operate at a level of safety equivalent to – or better than – that of a careful and competent human driver. 

In its response, ITS UK emphasised that clear, evidence-based principles will be vital to setting consistent standards, supporting safe innovation and creating a transparent benchmark against which AV performance can be assessed.

The second consultation covers the use of Protected Marketing Terms for automated vehicles, aiming to prevent misleading claims about self-driving capability. ITS UK strongly supported the introduction of these terms, noting that consistency in language is essential to avoiding confusion, protecting consumers, and ensuring that trust in AV technologies develops alongside their deployment.

Max Sugarman, chief executive of ITS UK, said: "Automated vehicles are one of the most significant technological shifts in transport for decades. To ensure public confidence, it is vital that they are introduced safely, transparently and in a way the public can have confidence in. 

“We support the government’s aims for a Statement of Safety Principles and protecting key Marketing Terms to ensure we have the right standards and accountability for automated technology, and look forward to working with our membership, the industry and Government to progress the deployment of Automated Vehicles over the coming years.”

ITS UK’s responses were developed in collaboration with its Connected and Automated Vehicle Forum, particularly officers Ian Pengelly of 4Way Consulting, and Manish Kumar of Amey, alongside members across the automated and connected vehicles sector, reflecting industry expertise in safety, technology deployment, standards, and user behaviour.