Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, has been elected Chair of the new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Connected and Automated Mobility.
This new cross-party group will provide a forum in Parliament for policymakers, industry and academia to discuss next steps in CAM and support the safe deployment of self-driving technologies on the UK’s roads.
Mr Everitt will work closely with insurance firm AXA and independent UK law firm Burges Salmon, who have supported the launch of the group, with the aim of ensuring that the UK continues to be a world-leader in pioneering self-driving technologies. The new group is the sole APPG in Parliament focusing exclusively on automated vehicle technology.
Also elected to serve as Officers at the meeting were former Conservative Transport Minister Robert Goodwill MP, SNP Transport Spokesperson Gavin Newlands MP, former Labour Transport Spokesperson Lord Berkeley, Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson Baroness Randerson and Lord Borwick, a Conservative member of the Lords Science and Technology Committee.
The inaugural meeting posed the question ‘What’s next for driverless cars?’ and was addressed by two distinguished expert speakers: Daniel Ruiz, Chief Executive Officer of Zenzic, the body established by the UK Government to accelerate the self-driving revolution in the UK; and Jessica Uguccioni, Lead Lawyer at the Law Commission of England and Wales’ Automated Vehicles Review.
Ben commented: “I am delighted to be coming together with Parliamentary colleagues from across the political spectrum to lead the conversation on how we can effectively and safely deploy self-driving vehicles on the UK’s roads. I believe that new modes of automated mobility have great potential to improve road safety and provide new transport options for people right across society. If the UK can cement its status as a world-leader in these technologies, that will also bring significant economic rewards.
“Milton Keynes has emerged as a leading hub for testing and trialing many transport innovations, from connected vehicles to e-scooters. This group will bring together industry experts, academics and policymakers to advise on how we can build on the great progress made to date and ensure that the whole country is able to benefit from these innovative technologies.”
