Research Areas
There is substantial work being done on road safety and public trust in autonomous vehicles. We think, however, that there are areas that are under-discussed, under-researched, and not given due attention, even by those within the sector. These are the areas where we focus our work.
Productivity
Autonomous vehicles could unlock significant productivity gains across the UK economy. Sectors like logistics, construction, and the nighttime economy stand to benefit directly from vehicles that can operate around the clock without fatigue. But the gains extend further: people currently excluded from the workforce, including disabled people and those without driving licences, could access jobs that were previously out of reach. Commuters could reclaim travel time for work, rest, or learning. Social workers could write up case reports between visits from inside a vehicle, rather than returning to the office each time. These benefits are real but poorly quantified. The Institute for Driverless Transport (IfDT) exists to build the evidence base and ensure the research is done to understand the trade-offs and maximise the gains.
Social Impact
How people travel shapes how they live. Autonomous vehicles have the potential to fundamentally change how communities spend their time, how children get to after-school activities, and how elderly people maintain their independence. Early deployments in the United States already show families using driverless vehicles to transport children to clubs and appointments.
Beyond convenience, there are serious safety implications. Human error accounts for the vast majority of road accidents. Removing tired drivers, drink drivers, and distracted phone users from behind the wheel could prevent thousands of deaths over the coming years. IfDT researches how these social benefits can be realised equitably across the UK.
Job Displacement
The automation of driving will affect taxi, private hire, bus, HGV, and delivery drivers across the country. IfDT believes in facing these facts honestly, even when the picture is complex and the timelines uncertain. History shows that managed transitions can work well when governments, employers, and unions act early, and that unmanaged ones cause lasting damage. We are here to research what good support looks like in practice, to advocate for a fair transition for affected workers, and to ensure that drivers are not an afterthought in the push towards autonomy.
Security and Geopolitics
Since the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, the prospect of autonomous vehicles operating on UK roads has moved from theory to reality. That includes the possibility of foreign operators seeking to deploy sensor-rich vehicles across British cities. This raises legitimate questions around data collection, surveillance, and national resilience.
Autonomous vehicles offer enormous potential for efficiency and integration, but the security implications deserve serious, independent scrutiny. Our team includes individuals with experience advising the government on the security implications of emerging technologies, including autonomous vehicles. IfDT will work to ensure these considerations are part of the public conversation.