Motorway traffic drones are coming to UK roads, but will they drive us to distraction? | UK news
I’m cruising down the highway at 70 miles per hour, swerving from lane to lane, cars whizzing past me. There’s only one problem, I don’t have a driver’s license.
Or at least it would be a problem if this were a real road test. But despite the lifelike surroundings, I’m actually trying out a complex simulation created by virtual reality company MXT on behalf of National Highways, the state-owned agency responsible for the UK’s main roads.
Beyond entertainment, its aim is to see whether drivers will be distracted or annoyed by the introduction of low-flying drones deployed to monitor the condition of the nation’s 4,500 miles of highways and A-roads.
Human-operated drones have been used by the National Highways in collaboration with engineering company Arup since 2020, but the agency also hopes to introduce smaller drones that can approach potential road maintenance areas, with the hope of flying overhead over highways in early 2027.
National Highways says smaller drones flying at a lower altitude of 10 to 20 feet can capture more detail than larger drones, which are only allowed to fly about 50 feet above the road surface. Smaller drones are also about 10 times cheaper.
The simulation examines how possible this is. The tests, which took place over a month in London, Manchester and Birmingham, were described to participants as a standard road safety simulation, and drones were only mentioned after they were completed. Participants are then asked whether they realize how much (if any) they feel drones affect their driving.
Along with their testimonials, the test also measures a variety of metrics during the simulation, including the participant’s heart rate, pupil dilation, and time spent not looking directly ahead, as well as factors such as speed and steering control.
It’s a surprisingly tense experience and is unlikely to improve my confidence behind the wheel. However, although the driving simulation done to write this story was described as “not great”, the manager stated that it was not the worst thing they had seen and added “at least you didn’t crash”.
Ewan Murdoch, a senior advisor at Arup, said the test results could lead to the use of drones in highway maintenance around the world.
“We’ve had some interest from colleagues in Australia who are considering outsourcing some of their work to highway authorities,” Murdoch said. “They’re looking for opportunities for this in the US as well, but this type of methodology is quite interesting and new, so I think it’s something we’re seeing strong interest in globally.”
The tests were carried out with 120 regular drivers as well as 19 heavy goods vehicle drivers to see whether they were more affected by driving large vehicles. While about half of the participants said they noticed drones during the test, far fewer drivers said they saw drones as “dangerous” or “dangerous” during the simulation.
National Highways senior adviser on airspace standards Callum Brown described the tests as “state of the art” and said smaller drones would be the safest and most efficient way to survey roads and buildings in the future.
“They did some tests like this in Massachusetts,” Brown said. “But in terms of trying to implement this nationally, this is a world first. We’re at the cutting edge of this, and it’s something we’ve been working on for about six years.”
Participant Kevin McKeown, 49, enjoyed the experience, and while he found the VR aspect “a bit jarring” at first, he didn’t believe the drones were causing him any problems.
“It was a bit surreal, like a video game, but if it improves health and safety and removes an element of risk then I’m all for it,” he said. “And if a drone flying 10 meters above you can distract you, then I think you’ve got bigger problems than a drone, and I’m not so sure you should be driving in the first place.”
