Imaginations of science fiction community used to help policymakers prepare for potential crises in Britain

It’s a scenario that would make Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, shudder: a future where self-driving cars are the norm but a catastrophic electronic breakdown traps thousands of people inside them.

This dystopian vision of the future was one sketched out by science fiction writers at an event this week where experts were asked to prepare Britain for threats ranging from pandemics to cyber and nuclear attacks.