SUMMER 2025 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 5
NEWS
GPSJ
Research by Coventry University on selfdriving vehicles
It is possible for one person
to safely monitor up to 昀椀ve
self-driving vehicles at once,
according to new research led
by Coventry University.
As self-driving vehicle trials expand
across the UK, having trained
people to intervene remotely if
something goes wrong is essential
for both safety and reliability.
This kind of remote oversight
is likely to be used for services
such as driverless buses, delivery
vehicles and robotaxis, where one
person monitors several vehicles
as they follow 昀椀xed routes. It
doesn’t apply to private selfdriving cars, where a driver would
currently need to be in the vehicle
and in control.
Monitoring several vehicles at
once could improve e昀케ciency,
cut costs and reduce the risk
of accidents, but only if we
understand how many one person
can safely supervise without losing
focus or becoming overwhelmed.
Researchers from Coventry
University’s Research Centre for
Future Transport and Cities set
out to 昀椀nd this limit by asking
experienced drivers with limited
monitoring experience to watch
between three and nine synthetic
self-driving cars on screens in
a simulator of a control room,
similar to setups planned for future
transport networks.
The operators were instructed
not to interfere with the driving,
only to watch the cars across
di昀昀erent scenarios and decide if a
standby driver needed to step in
when something looked wrong.
The study assessed how
quickly and accurately participants
responded to potential issues,
as well as the di昀케culty they
experienced during the task.
Results showed that operators
were most e昀昀ective when
watching around 昀椀ve vehicles, as
it allowed them to react quickly
and stay alert without feeling
overwhelmed. On average, they
took 13 seconds to respond,
which is close to how long it takes
to fully evaluate a situation before
acting.
Performance stayed steady
when operators monitored
between 昀椀ve and seven vehicles
but dropped considerably once
they had to watch nine.
When supervising only three
vehicles, some operators
intervened too often, suggesting
the task wasn’t challenging
enough and may have led to overalertness.
Operators said clear and timely
information from the vehicles
helped them make decisions,
but too many messages became
distracting. This suggests
alternative ways to deliver
information, such as audio or
voice alerts, could improve focus
and response times.
Professor Stewart Birrell,
Director of the Research Centre for
Future Transport and Cities, said:
“We’re proud to have provided
insights that could support the
safe rollout of connected and
automated vehicles. This study
was essential for understanding
what remote supervision might
look like in the real world. We
found that 昀椀ve vehicles are enough
to keep operations e昀케cient
without overwhelming the human
operator.
“Having this knowledge and
insight is critical if we want these
systems to work in busy places
like cities, where one person might
need to keep an eye on several
vehicles at once.”
Alongside this research study,
Coventry University has also been
playing a key role in the delivery
of the SCALE project. Funded
by the UK Government’s Centre
for Connected and Autonomous
Vehicles, the next phase of the
project, SCALE2, will be deploying
remote control systems for
automated vehicles in Solihull.
The project is being delivered
by a consortium led by Solihull
Metropolitan Borough Council
and including Ohmio, IPG, dRISK,
Transport for the West Midlands,
the National Exhibition Centre,
WMG, Coventry City Council and
Coventry University.
Mayor backs unsung heroes in the region’s
everyday economy
Mayor Richard Parker has
pledged greater support for
the tens of thousands of key
workers who keep the West
Midlands running each day.
During a visit to ASRA, a fastgrowing Smethwick-based
provider of social care services
in the Black Country and
Birmingham, the Mayor described
those working in the ‘everyday
economy’ as the region’s unsung
heroes.
And he said his recently
launched Growth Plan sets out
how the region will work with
employers to make those jobs
more rewarding and secure,
o昀昀ering long-term career
prospects through better training,
fairer pay, and improved working
conditions.
More than 750,000 people work
in the everyday economy – which
is around two thirds of the entire
West Midlands workforce.
They provide the essential
goods and services that people
depend on daily. They include
health and care sta昀昀, school
workers, and people working in
construction, transport, logistics,
retail, hospitality, tourism, leisure,
the arts, and the nighttime
economy.
The Mayor said: “Our Growth
Plan is about opportunity and
prosperity for everyone. That
means backing people working in
the everyday economy who care
for our families, drive our buses,
deliver our shopping, and keep our
pubs, clubs, theatres and cinemas
alive.
“These jobs are the backbone
of our communities and can o昀昀er
long and rewarding careers, but
too often they can be low-paid
and insecure.
“It is crucial that we invest in
advanced manufacturing, digital,
hi-tech and green industries to
create jobs in fast-developing
sectors and turbo-charge
economic growth for our region.
“But it is just as vital to
strengthen the everyday economy
– so we can put more money
into the pockets of some of our
lowest paid workers and improve
their living standards, as well
as providing meaningful career
pathways within those essential
services that our region needs to
grow.”
ASRA, a community-focused
business, delivers care services
to around 350 people every day
in Sandwell, Dudley, and parts of
Birmingham.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SUMMER 2025
5
