A leading autonomous vehicle researcher has welcomed the London Assembly Transport Committee’s report on driverless transport, calling for a clear, objective safety benchmark to assess how the technology performs.

Head of Safe Autonomy at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, Professor Siddartha Khastgir (pictured) said the report’s focus on safety was welcome, having himself given evidence to the inquiry.

His reaction follows the committee’s warning that it had not heard sufficient evidence to support introducing robotaxis in London. Its recommendations include stronger regulatory powers for Transport for London, clearer incident reporting and monitoring of journeys made without passengers.

In WMG’s response, Professor Khastgir pointed to United Nations Regulation 185 and the UK’s Automated Vehicles Act 2024 as frameworks governing deployment safety.

He said the UN regulation followed seven years of deliberation involving governments, advocacy bodies and industry, while the UK legislation added requirements reflecting national needs.

Professor Khastgir explained that these frameworks require autonomous vehicles to meet a safety benchmark equivalent to a careful and competent driver.

Responding to the committee’s call for a stronger baseline, he argued that defining the benchmark objectively would help TfL, passengers and developers assess performance.

He said this would enable “a more robust and valuable evaluation of performance”.

Professor Khastgir also encouraged the committee, TfL and those who contributed to the inquiry to engage proactively with technology developers and policymakers as the sector evolves.

(Picture – University of Warwick)