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FleetCheck calls for clarity over autonomous vehicle safety checks

Autonomous vehicles continue to be trialled on UK roads, including taxi services operating in London.

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FleetCheck calls for clarity over autonomous vehicle safety checks

FleetCheck has called for greater clarity around how mandatory vehicle safety inspections will be carried out as autonomous vehicles begin to enter UK fleet operations.

Neil Avent, chief technical officer at the fleet software specialist, said current legislation surrounding autonomous vehicles does not directly address how traditional ‘walkaround’ vehicle checks would function without a driver present.

Autonomous vehicles continue to be trialled on UK roads, including taxi services operating in London.

Avent said the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 establishes two responsible parties: the Automated Driving System Entity (ADSE), typically the manufacturer or developer, and the No-User-In-Charge (NUIC) operator, which operates the vehicle service.

He said: “These together are legally responsible for identifying safety relevant issues and ensuring the vehicle is safe to operate – but the absence of a human who can carry out a regular visual check to confirm the AV is OK to use is a very real problem that requires clarity.

“Certainly, it is a massive change from how vehicle safety is currently evaluated. There can be no traditional walkaround check if there is driver to walk around.”

Avent said it was unlikely that early autonomous vehicle systems would be capable of fully replacing human inspection of key roadworthiness issues.

He added: “In time, more comprehensive technological solutions may become available to replace visual checks and already, it is at least potentially possible that factors such as tyre pressures could be monitored remotely.

“However, it is currently somewhere between difficult and impossible for vehicle sensors to spot issues such as damaged tyres or alloy wheels, which could have serious safety implications if they fail at speed.”

FleetCheck said operators may need to build manual inspections into operational schedules, potentially alongside charging cycles for autonomous vehicles.

Avent said: “While these are no longer really classified as pre-use in the same way as traditional walkaround checks, regular inspection to a schedule specifying standard daily and deeper weekly checks will remain essential to ensuring vehicle safety.

“AVs may remove the need for drivers but they don’t remove legal obligations from operators.

“Fleets need to be cognisant of their responsibilities and, when adopting driverless vehicles or machinery, ensure they are meeting all relevant safety regulations.”

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