Driverless cars on British roads within a year
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Driverless cars will be on British roads in just six months time, Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced today.
The Government will allow the first trials of computer-controlled cars to start in January, as part of a move to update the law to allow driverless cars on UK roads.
Ministers have previously admitted that the current Highway Code and rules of the road are inadequate for the new generation of vehicles which pilot themselves.
The Government will allow the first trials of computer-controlled cars to start in January 2015, as part of a move to update the law to allow driverless cars on UK roads. Pictured: Google's 'hands-free' self-driving car
LAW CHANGES TO SUIT DRIVERLESS VEHICLES AROUND THE WORLD
In the U.S. driverless cars are only allowed on roads in certain states if someone sits in the driver's seat.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles is expected to start granting licences to certain driverless cars and their human co-pilots as soon as September.
Changes to the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic, which dates back to 1968, are also afoot.
It used to state: 'Every driver shall at all times be able to control his vehicle or to guide his animals.'
An amendment agreed in May would allow a car to drive itself, as long as the system 'can be overridden or switched off by the driver'.
A driver must be present and able to take the wheel at any time.
The convention covers European countries, Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Russia, although not the United States, Japan or China.
The vehicles work by using GPS technology to locate the vehicle's position on an electronic map.
In June, Google unveiled its computerised 'hands-free' self-driving bubble car, which has no steering wheel, brake or accelerator pedals.
Instead, it has buttons for start, pull over and emergency stop and a computer screen showing the planned route.
Google plans to have prototypes ready to test later this summer and says the goal is for the car to 'shoulder the entire burden of driving'.
In the UK, ministers will look at current road regulations to ensure there is an appropriate way to testing driverless cars.
Two areas of driverless technology will be covered in the review: cars with a qualified driver who can take over control of the driverless car and fully autonomous vehicles where there is no driver at all.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: 'The excellence of our scientists and engineers has established the UK as pioneers in the development of driverless vehicles through pilot projects.
'Today's announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months, putting us at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities for our economy and society.'
He also announced that UK cities can now bid for a share of a £10million competition to host a driverless cars trial and up to three cities will be selected to host the trials from next year. Each project is expected to last between 18 and 36 months and start in January 2015.
Transport Minister Claire Perry said: 'Driverless cars have huge potential to transform the UK's transport network. They could improve safety, reduce congestion and lower emissions, particularly CO2.
'We are determined to ensure driverless cars can fulfill this potential which is why we are actively reviewing regulatory obstacles to create the right framework for trialling these vehicles on British roads.'
However, motoring groups have warned that road users will be wary of the introduction of driverless cars.
Steering wheels, handbrakes and pedals could become a thing of the past when driverless cars are introduced
AA president Edmund King said that a recent survey of more than 23,000 AA members showed that 43 per cent did not agree that UK legislation should be amended to even allow trials of the technology.
And the RAC said: 'We suspect it will be difficult for people to come to terms with giving up control of their vehicle to a computer.'
The survey showed only a small minority of drivers were eager to take their hands off the wheel and let the car take over.
Those most keen were drivers aged 25-34, while those least keen were pensioners.
Mr King said: 'Today's announcement takes us closer to seeing fully autonomous vehicles on our roads but it will take some time for them to become commonplace.
'Many drivers are still resistant to change as 65 per cent enjoy driving too much to ever want the vehicle to take over from them.
'Cars have become more automated. However, there needs to be a big leap of faith by drivers from embracing assistance systems to accepting the fully automated car.'
RAC technical director David Bizley said: 'Many vehicles already have features such as automatic braking and it is claimed that driverless technology is able to identify hazards more effectively than a person can.
'But many motorists will be concerned about not being able to control the speed of their vehicle for the conditions or layout of the road in front of them.'
Driverless pods (above) are already being used to transport passengers to Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport
'There is also the question of whether a human would still have to be present or not to take control in the event of a computer or system failure, or will we really have driverless vehicles on our roads?
'This is no doubt something that will involve new legislation before we actually get to see driverless vehicles taking to our roads.'
Despite trepidation from drivers, politicians are keen for the UK to take the lead in the production of technologies for autonomous vehicles.
Science Minister Greg Clark said: 'Britain is brilliantly placed to lead the world in driverless technology. It combines our strengths in cars, satellites, big data and urban design; with huge potential benefits for future jobs and for the consumer.'
In June, Science minister David Willets told MailOnline that he was in talks with the Department for Transport about rewriting the law to allow autonomous vehicles on UK roads, claiming that Britiain is a 'world leader' in the area. A British version of a driverless is being developed in Oxford.
'There is British technology, and it's a lot cheaper than the Google technology,' Mr Willetts said.
'But whereas the Google car, they have notched up more miles, so we have got to ensure that the British has its own opportunity to get tested in a wider range of environments and that's what we are working on with the department for transport.
'But the technology is being developed at Oxford as we speak.'
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