Self-driving vehicles could be seen on UK roads as early as 2026 thanks to the new Automated Vehicles (AV) Act announced in the recent King’s speech.
The new law is designed to help enable technology to safely drive vehicles on British roads, putting the UK at the forefront of self-driving technology regulation. The Act’s implementation follows several self-driving trials set to take place across the country, with AI company Wayve securing more than $1 billion in investment to further develop its technology in the UK.
The legislation, opening up the potential of an industry worth up to £42 billion, will prioritise road safety across the UK with automated vehicles expected to reduce human error-related crashes, which contributes to 88% of incidents.
The self-driving vehicle sector could create an estimated 38,000 additional skilled jobs by 2035 and has already created 1,500 new jobs between 2018 and 2022.
The development of self-driving technology could herald a seismic shift in the automotive sector and could forever change how humans interact with their cars.
Showing its ability to evolve as the industry changes, Motor Assist has already developed its services to cater to electrification across the country, with like-for-like EV replacement vehicles and a network of bodyshops which have the skillset to handle EVs. As autonomous vehicle technology usage expands in the UK, its services will adapt to ensure mobility is as stress-free as possible.
