The BMF has this week submitted its response to the Government’s Consultation on the Statement of Safety Principles For Autonomous Vehicle (AVs).

You can read the full response here

The original Automated Vehicles Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 20 May 2024 and provides a framework for the safe integration of AVs into UK society over the next few years. The Act introduces an authorisation process for self-driving vehicles with AVs required to undergo a self-driving test to ensure agreed safety benchmarks are met. These are outlined in the Secretary of State’s Statement on Safety Principles which will inform the regulatory framework around the introduction of AVs on UK roads, provide guidance on safety assessments and ensure AV deployment doesn’t negatively impact vulnerable road users. The principles will cover both pre- and post-deployment stages, including assessing AV safety impact and ensuring cybersecurity resilience . The safety principles will be centred around authorised AVs achieving “a level of safety equivalent to, or higher than, that of a careful and competent human driver.”

The Statement of Safety Principles is crucial for building public confidence and ensuring the safe and successful integration of AVs into society. It will provide a clear, high-level benchmark that manufacturers must meet and will inform the ongoing development of safety standards and regulations and the creation of robust guidelines for the future of self-driving technology.

Anna Zee, BMF’s Political and Technical Services Director, said “The BMF welcomes the opportunity to help frame the government’s Statement of Safety Principles which is an important development to ensure that the deployment of future automated driving systems enhance road safety for all road users. This is particularly important for vulnerable road users, including motorcyclists, whose riding profile is different to other road users; involving frequent lane changes, filtering manoeuvres and dynamic changes in speed and direction that make them harder for AVs to detect. We have made it clear in our response to the Government’s consultation and in wider discussions with Ministers and officials that motorcyclists face disproportionality higher risks on the road compared to car users and that safety regulations around future AV deployment must fully recognise this fact and be designed so as to enhance, rather than reduce, the safety of motorcyclists using UK roads.”

Written by Paul Morgan CBE, BMF Government Relations Executive

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