Driverless cars will only bring about improvements in congestion once mass take-up has been achieved.

Many manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover, are focused on developing autonomous driving technology.

That’s the finding of a new report authored by Atkins Ltd, a design, engineering and project management consultancy for the Department for Transport.

The work on Research on the Impacts of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) on Traffic Flow looks at impacts of changes in technology on traffic flow and measures of network performance.

The report says that substantial improvements in journey times are not likely to be achieved until there are high levels of connectivity and automation. At low penetrations, any assertive CAVs are limited by the behaviour of other vehicles, rendering them unable to make use of their enhanced capability.

Results for the strategic road network model indicate improvements in delays of 7% for a 50% penetration of CAVs, increasing to 17% for 75% penetration and as high as 40% for a fully automated vehicle fleet. The report adds that benefits are greatest in congested networks, which are constrained by the level of traffic density that can be achieved.

In response RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “While we are still a long way from autonomous vehicles being commonplace on our roads, this report is useful in modelling what the advantages could be as the technology takes off.

“But modelling aside, drivers need to be convinced that a future with autonomous cars is going to be worth waiting for. The Report on Motoring research suggests that motorists will need reassurance about driverless vehicle software reliability, and only 25% agreed that driverless cars will actually reduce the number of traffic jams on our roads.

“Reports like this make a strong case for the Government’s emphasis on making the UK a leader in driverless vehicle technology, but deeper engagement with motorists on the benefits driverless vehicles could bring will also be crucial to encourage their adoption.”