June 2021

JUNE 2021 AFTERMARKET 11 www.aftermarketonline.net “From automated emergency braking (AEB) to ALKS, the automotive industry has taken huge steps to introduce advanced safety technology to the vehicles on our roads, and the technology is set to become even more prevalent in the future. Keeping up with the pace of change is crucial if we want drivers to benefit from the safety aspects of this increasingly complex technology, but we are still a long way from being able to hand full responsibility over to the vehicle. “The government must comprehensively address the issue of responsibility before these new laws can be brought into effect, and that includes the maintenance and upkeep of ADAS. We, as members of the industry, must also step up and play our role in educating drivers around the importance of correctly maintaining this technology to ensure that it is working accurately and safely. As we move up the levels of automation, it is crucial that the government supports this with necessary legislation to ensure that recalibrations are performed as required and by appropriately skilled technicians using approved tools and equipment. Where safety is concerned, it is vital that the whole industry is held to the same high standard, so this technology is allowed to reach its full potential.” Security Staying on the legal side, Hojol Uddin, Head of Motoring and Partner at JMW Solicitors, commented: “Cars already have some driverless technology which has assisted a lot of drivers to avoid accidents such as collision assist, cameras, lane assist, driver alert when tired and so on. It will take some time for people to adapt but it is definitely a positive step forward in safer driving. However, it is also likely to attract cyber criminals, so security of driverless vehicles is paramount.” On the impact on insurance, Hojol observed: “It is likely that insurers will dedicate specific exclusions for their policies once the first phase of vehicles are being tested and they see what occurs with these transition demands. I wouldn’t be surprised if insurers themselves adapt technology alongside manufacturers to monitor what a driver is doing or not in driverless cars, for the purposes of liability and cover. “The Highway Code will have to be changed entirely to determine the relevance of certain rules. For example, will the driver really need to know stopping distances and times if the computer is going to do the thinking for you as well as the stopping? In addition, will it be necessary for mirror-signal- manoeuvre being drilled into every student when cars of the future will do this for you? Most of the Highway Code will be redundant, as cars will be able to read signs and everything else we were taught to do.” He added: “The whole legal framework will need to be changed to take driverless cars into consideration. The Law Commission is currently in its last consultation phase. This takes into consideration every scenario relating to autonomous vehicles and developing an Automated Driving System (ADS) – a system within a vehicle not the vehicle itself.” Evolution Taking the long view, Paul Loughlin, solicitor specialising in motoring law at Stephensons said: “Though the arrival of self-driving vehicles on UK roads is seen as something of an evolution rather than revolution at this stage, it does threaten to tear up the rulebook when it comes to motoring law. It raises questions about how much liability we can attribute to a person if the car was carrying out its functions automatically. Can a driver – or perhaps ‘user’ is more appropriate – of a self-driving car be guilty of something that the software and mechanics of that vehicle was controlling at the time of the incident? Is the driver of that vehicle to blame or the manufacturer?” Paul concluded: “There are many questions that need to be addressed and it is clear that the law must make considerable changes in order to accommodate self-driving vehicles on our roads.” Exciting step Finally, taking a viewpoint on ALKS from the workshop floor, Hayley Pells from Avia Sports Cars summed it all up: “The news about ALKS means we are a long way off truly autonomous driving, but is an exciting step towards learning what this technology can do for us. The TUC released information pre-pandemic that we spent around an hour a day commuting. As we exit lock down, working smarter has become more focused and I know I could certainly do with an extra hour a day.”

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