Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with international vehicle technical regulators on the approval of Ford’s BlueCruise technology.

Each application for approval of ‘hands-off’ technologies is considered on its own merits. The Vehicle Certification Agency evaluated the Ford BlueCruise system is at least as safe as existing ‘hands-on’ systems available in the market. This was in part due to more sophisticated camera-based driver monitoring being utilised that can better determine if the driver is paying attention to the road and warn them more promptly if not. It is expected that this will significantly reduce the risks of drivers inappropriately engaging in non-driving activities.

The Department for Transport is engaging with vehicle technical regulators at the UNECE’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations to develop new harmonised requirements for advanced driver assistance systems, including hands-free functions such as Ford’s BlueCruise technology.