Self-driving cars need to be accessible
The Automated Vehicles Bill – currently at report stage in the House of Commons – is a welcome step towards regulating alternative modes of transport that can help connect our communities.
However, there are substantial gaps in the provisions that the LGA would normally expect to see in government legislation, which have the potential to adversely affect older people, those with disabilities, and/or accessibility requirements.
It is imperative that this alternative form of transport is safe, trusted and accessible to all. Only by ensuring that sufficient safeguards are in place can we persuade citizens of the reliability of self-driving cars and similar vehicles, particularly among users of existing public transport networks.
Our concerns centre on three themes: co-design and co-production; regulation of features; and protections for disabled and older people.
A recent Women and Equalities Committee report, ‘Accessibility of products and services to disabled people’, outlined the importance of businesses considering disabled access from the start.
The committee found that this approach would “benefit businesses that currently risk missing out on the spending power of disabled households, which is estimated to be worth £274 billion per year”.
It therefore makes social and economic sense to address this point.
However, there is no duty in the bill for the Department for Transport, the Secretary of State nor designers of automated vehicles (AVs) to ensure the disability sector is consulted when co-designing AVs.
The bill also contains no provision for the establishment of an accessibility advisory board or panel, as recommended by the Law Commission in the bill’s impact assessment. The board would be required to give consent before issuing a permit for passenger-only AVs. We believe this is critical, to foster the relationship between the commissioning authority, vehicle provider and user.
Equally, it is also important to consider design accessibility for passengers with health conditions, older people and people with disabilities.
For example, the usual design of the driver’s seat in vehicles with some automated functions is already unsuited to these groups, and is not set to be addressed in the current drafting of the bill. There is potential from encouraging an AV sector in the UK to be at the forefront of new technology – but there is also potential to reproduce issues of the past.
Research by the charity Transport for All has highlighted that the biggest barrier to disabled people using a car is difficulty in finding a driver. As a result, those with disabilities are more reliant on public transport as a means to travel.
We know that lack of priority space, or insufficient provisions to ensure their safety, have been an enduring issue for disabled people.
To avoid a similar situation in the roll-out of AVs, ensuring these vehicles are properly designed with the disabled user front of mind is important.
AVs are a new and exciting option in the travel mix, but there are numerous risks. It is important that these vehicles are accessible and are co-designed as such.
The LGA will continue to work with the Government to ensure effective and sufficient safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable groups. We believe the current drafting of the bill falls short of these expectations.
Find out more about the LGA’s parliamentary work.