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Driverless Vehicles: Urban Areas

Asked by Olly GloverLiberal DemocratDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 10 February 2026UIN 111372

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of autonomous systems to correctly interpret traffic signals at complex or partially obscured junctions in dense urban environments.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

Self-driving vehicles will be expected to operate safely and legally on GB's road infrastructure as it currently exists, just as human drivers do now. Although not essential for safe self-driving, adaptations to roads and other infrastructure have the potential to bring benefits to both conventional and self-driving vehicles. Some functions for Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) technology, for example routing services, will require connectivity. Road authorities may choose to develop their networks to maximise the benefits of new technologies.

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