The fleet industry is being urged to work together to tackle cyber security fears to boost the confidence of fleet managers and motorists in an autonomous future.

Venson says fears over cyber security need to be tackled as a priority to boost the confidence of fleet managers and motorists

So says Venson Automotive Solutions, which has highlighted a recent call from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) for industries to collaborate, saying: “The task for everyone with an interest in promoting the benefits of driverless cars is to find and close the vulnerabilities now before the technology is integrated extensively into mass-market vehicles.”

“For driverless cars to become a familiar sight on a business’s fleet, huge changes are required to the legislative and regulatory landscape,” said Gil Kelly, operations director of Venson. “Experts have highlighted that there is a very real threat associated with the deliberate misuse of a car’s data systems.

“Autonomous systems will rely heavily on internet connectivity, making them intrinsically vulnerable to cyber manipulation, which means hackers may be able to override a car’s system to re-route it toward a particular destination or overwhelm it with high volumes of internet traffic.”

A recent report by the BVRLA suggests that as business buys significantly more than half of all new cars, vans and trucks sold in the UK annually “the fleet market is going to be a crucial driver of autonomous and connected vehicle technology”.

Venson’s Gil Kelly continued: “Although it may seem like a vision of the future, autonomous cars are already with us, with self-parking and lane control technology already transferring control away from drivers. In 2017, Nissan is launching the Qashqai with ProPilot autonomous technology and four UK cities are operating driverless car trials.

“However, it’s clear that all industries involved in driverless technology need to work together to smooth the way for its development. Insurers are already working with government, vehicle manufacturers and regulators, as well as the legal community to tackle the cyber security challenge. The fleet industry should follow in insurers’ footsteps to ensure the UK continues to operate high standards of safety and security for both private and company car drivers.”

Venson has also published a free White Paper looking at how the journey to the autonomous car is already underway. To download it, click here.