Driverless cars are 'GO' in the UK

The UK government has revealed there are no regulatory obstacles to testing driverless cars on UK roads, with the UK set to start driverless trials.

Driverless Meridian Shuttle on trial in Greenwich

The government has declared that the testing of driverless cars on UK roads is legal – as long as there’s a qualified driver able to take over the controls if needed – opening the door for the UK to lead the world in the development of cars that drive you.

Unlike the US – where the ability to conduct trials has to be agreed State by State – and Europe – where only Germany and Sweden have so far allowed restricted trials – the UK roads are open for car makers – and others – to test driverless cars.

To mark the launch of trials in Greenwich of the fully autonomous Meridian Shuttle, Transport Minister Claire Perry and Business Secretary Vince Cable will be on hand to witness the embryonic stages of driverless cars in the UK.

Vince Cable said:

It’s important for jobs, growth and society that we keep at the forefront of innovation, that’s why I launched a competition to research and develop driverless cars. The projects we are now funding in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry will help to ensure we are world-leaders in this field and able to benefit from what is expected to be a £900 billion industry by 2025.

This is just the start of trials on driverless cars, but there’s a long way to go.

The UK government is investing £19 million in the trials and promising a full review of current legislation by summer 2017, when they’ll attempt to address questions like who will be responsible if an autonomous car has an accident (in reality, we will probably have to move to product insurance supplied by the car maker), whether you’ll need a driving license and whether driverless cars can be allowed to operate at much closer distance to other vehicles than currently.

This is just the start, but it seems almost certain we’ll have the option of sending the kids to school, on their own, in a driverless car and go out for the evening without worrying what we drink, in the next decade.