First public education programmes for self-driving vehicles launched

A new national initiative to deliver the UK’s first public education and engagement programmes around automated vehicles (AVs) has been unveiled by WMG at The University of Warwick.

The Partners for Automated Vehicle Education United Kingdom (PAVE UK) was launched this week at the Royal Automobile Club in London, with the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Transport (DfT), the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) as its founding partners.

The PAVE UK initiative aims to build public confidence in self-driving technology through a programme of education and engagement, supporting the UK Government’s ambition to safely deploy self-driving vehicles on UK roads.

Professor Siddartha Khastgir, head of verification and validation at WMG, University of Warwick, said: "At WMG, we strive to enhance the safety of self-driving technology and ensure it is safe to operate on the roads. 

“In taking a people first approach, the public should be paramount in the safety conversation and part of the journey during the development and deployment of self-driving vehicles on UK roads.

“PAVE UK will translate technical information into clear, comprehensive and accurate messaging to help communicate safety to the public in an inclusive and accessible manner.”

She added: “Future technology users and other road users will be equipped with the knowledge of benefits and limits of this new transport technology.  

“PAVE UK will also bring together the self-driving ecosystem to tackle the technological challenges, speak honestly and accurately about system capabilities and limitations, and encourage innovators to put the public at the heart of this.”

PAVE UK is the country’s first non-governmental organisation that advocates for and delivers public education and engagement programmes on automated vehicles.

Technology and decarbonisation minister, Anthony Browne, who attended the launch, said: “Self-driving vehicles have the potential to transform our transport sector, and PAVE UK will be a big part of this by raising awareness and embedding confidence in people throughout the country.

“In the meantime, we’re making sure that these vehicles are safe to use on our roads. Our Automated Vehicles Bill sets a rigorous standard for safety, whilst making sure that this country is where businesses can develop and deploy their cutting-edge technology.”

PAVE UK will carry out education and engagement programmes, such as research-based educational materials packs, school outreach activities, community outreach, an online video library, webinars, and an online educational app.

The programme will be delivered by WMG at the University of Warwick.