SELF-DRIVING CARS GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT

Back in 2016, the US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx reportedly said that autonomous cars would be everywhere by 2021. Though that’s not exactly the case yet, 2021 is shaping up to be the start of an era of self-driving functionality.

In recent years car manufacturers such as Ford, Toyota and Tesla have made enormous leaps in driving automation, such as the ability for a car to self-park, detect hazards on the road and ultimately drive itself. There are fleets of new cars with autonomous abilities set to be released throughout 2021, such as the MercedesMaybach S-Class, which is designed for ‘chauffeur-driven journeys’. Although autonomous driving technology has been tried and tested to work, the law isn’t currently in favour of self-driving cars in many countries. 2021 could see that change.

For example, in Japan, Honda has been granted permission to mass-produce nextgeneration cars with 100 per cent autonomous capabilities, with hopes to be on the roads by March next year. Also, the UK government is reportedly considering legalising automated driving at 70 miles per hour in the slow lanes of motorways in 2021.