UK government says autonomous vehicles are to be tested on roads this year
Driverless cars are to be tested on public roads in the UK by the end of the year, the BBC reports.
The move is part of a £28m plan unveiled by the Department for Transport, which aims to reduce congestion on British roads.
Autonomous vehicles have already been tested on private land in the UK. The report says the cars will be driven on lightly used rural and suburban roads in a semi-autonomous mode, which gives testers the ability to intervene.
US takes the lead
The government announcement follows trials of driverless vehicles in other parts of the world. The US states of Nevada, Florida and California have all passed legislation relating to autonomous cars.
The cars are guided by a sophisticated system of sensors and cameras and can memorise regular routes such as commuter journeys.
AA head of roads policy Paul Watters said: “In the past, our members have expressed concern about fully autonomous cars, preferring human interaction.
“The notion of reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee is a bit far-fetched. It’s early days and driverless cars won’t be mainstream for a long time.”
Engineering focus
The cars will be tested by a team of Oxford University researchers, led by Professor Paul Newman. Mr Newman said: “It’s a great area to be working in, because it’s IT and computers, and that’s what changes things. The British government sees that engineering is important.”
At this stage, most autonomous vehicle technology has involved adapting existing cars. But manufacturers including Ford, Audi and Volvo have already expressed interest in developing the technology as costs fall.
No comments yet