Jesse Norman told MPs that a “horrendous” part of the development of the technology will be “scare stories, particularly in the early stages”.
Last month, the UK became the first European country to allow drivers to take their hands off car steering wheels on public roads, after the Department for Transport gave car manufacturer Ford permission to activate its BlueCruise system on motorways.
The system controls functions such as steering, acceleration, braking and lane positioning in suitably equipped Ford vehicles.
Fully self-driving cars remain banned on public roads in the UK apart from during government-approved trials. Legislation to approve the technology could be introduced as early as 2025.
Asked about the safety of self-driving vehicles by the Commons’ Transport Select Committee, Norman said: “The horrendous thing about this is that we can be rationally certain there are going to be some scare stories, particularly in the early stages, because...