PRESS RELEASE

7 August 2014

GEM welcomes research into driverless cars on UK roads

Road safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist supports the latest government announcement on driverless cars.

 The UK government is shortly expected to outline measures to permit driverless cars to use public roads by 2015 under strict research conditions.

GEM chief executive David Williams MBE comments: "We are excited by this significant development, primarily because of the enormous potential for safer journeys and safer roads. Technology properly understood and implemented should lead to a sizeable and permanent reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

"We have long maintained that advances in vehicle safety technology have combined with improved road engineering measures to give vehicle occupants and other road users a greater chance of surviving collisions that would have killed them or wounded them badly a generation ago. However, humans really haven't changed, and more than 90% of collisions occur because someone made a mistake or took a risk.

"If the driverless car can eliminate the human input, then we should be able to look forward to far fewer collisions. In turn, this will bring health benefits, reduce pressure on hospital emergency units and offer longer term economic gains as delays on our road network will be reduced."

However, David Williams points out that there are many questions to be answered, as well as some fundamental changes required to the legislative and regulatory framework and road infrastructure before driverless cars can use the UK's roads.

"We face a big challenge as we try to work out what current laws can be adapted for driverless cars. For example, what training will an individual need to use a vehicle without steering wheel or pedals?

"If a car is truly ‘driverless', then are all the occupants allowed to drink alcohol before and during a journey, without risk of committing any offence? What responsibility sits with the one occupant who presses the single stop/go button control?

"Because driverless cars will rely heavily on their connectivity, how sure are we that they can be free from cyber attack? Would someone with the right technical skills be able to send a text message to disable all driverless cars? Or worse, take remote control of a vehicle and deliberately cause it to cras.h

"What powers and techniques will be available to the police if they suspect there are offenders or criminals on board a driverless car? How will they stop it?

"GEM welcomes innovation and progress in this exciting development, but we seek clarification on these issues to ensure driverless cars deliver the safety benefits they are capable of."

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Notes for editors

GEM Motoring Assist provides two levels of recovery service; Recovery EXTRA and Recovery RECLAIM, to suit all needs and pockets. All GEM policies also include free Accident Management, so members are also fully covered in this area. 

GEM provides a unique, comprehensive and competitively-priced Roadside Assistance and Vehicle Recovery Service. GEM has also been voted number one for Breakdown Cover in the 2013, 2011, 2010 and 2008 Auto Express Driver Power Survey, and runners-up in 2012 and 2009. 

GEM Motoring Assist is a trading name of The Guild of Experienced Motorists, established in 1932, as an independent driver-based road safety association. GEM's aim is to improve safety for all road users through the sponsorship and initiation of accident prevention measures throughout the UK and to provide motoring and safety information to its own members. Member benefits include a quarterly magazine, free literature and advice and discounts on insurances and other services. 

Press information: David Williams MBE, Chief Executive of GEM Motoring Assist, is available for comment on 01342-825676 (office) or 07711450560 (mobile).  David Williams was awarded the MBE in 1998 for services to road safety. Alternatively you can emailpress@motoringassist.comfor any further information.