This week, the UK Government has launched public consultations on the safe adoption of Automated Vehicles (AVs), enabling expert voices from the automotive sector to share their thoughts.

The UK’s only not-for-profit automotive risk intelligence centre, Thatcham Research, will be engaging with these consultations, sharing industry-leading research and insights to support the Government in welcoming these vehicles onto UK roads.

Tom Leggett, vehicle technology manager at Thatcham Research, said: “These consultations are an encouraging and much needed next step, enabling Thatcham Research and others from the sector to collaborate with Government and ensure that AVs are sustainably adopted in the UK.

“While these consultations cover a range of important topics linked to AV adoption such as the safety framework, standards and principles, building trust with the public and insurers must be a priority for Government.

“As outlined in our reporting last year, in order for AVs to gain acceptance, transparency must be at the heart of deployment. That means making data, functionality, and operational design domain[i] principles clearer to the public and insurers.

“A lack of clarity about liability has already led to confusion in consumer markets, and misleading marketing around automated system capabilities must be avoided. The term ‘automated vehicle’ may be protected by the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, but ambiguity remains around the wider definition of automation itself.

“The consultations rightly highlight the need for systems to be clearly presented to drivers and users. As the industry transitions, manufacturers must ensure that liability is crystal clear – users in charge need to know when they are responsible for regaining control of these vehicles.

“This principle extends to safety performance: the focus must shift away from vague benchmarks and instead highlight how safety is measured, with improved access to data that supports enhanced automated driving standards. Vehicle manufacturers, insurers, and local authorities must work together to make this visibility a priority.

“It’s essential that should things go wrong, post-event data is made transparently available to help understand what happened and who was in control of the vehicle at the time of a collision – system or driver. This is crucial for affordable insurance and to foster public trust.

“Ultimately, public trust is the foundation for successful deployment. The Government must work with industry not only to refine regulation but also to ensure consumers and insurers have confidence in the technology.

“Lessons from the deployment of assisted driving technology highlight the risks of poor public perception and understanding – missteps which cannot be repeated with automation.

“Finally, timely and unhindered access to relevant vehicle data is vital, to protect consumers and allow insurers to fulfil their customer obligations as set out by the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018.”

[i] Operational Design Domains (ODDs) - The operating conditions under which a vehicle's automated driving systems can be safely engaged.