Driverless cars to hit UK roads within four years under Budget green light

Driverless cars will be allowed onto the UK road network within four years under plans to relax the regulations around the technology, the Chancellor has announced.

Philip Hammond said he wanted “fully driverless cars” with no safety attendant on board to be in use on British roads by 2021, with the aim of making the UK a world leader.

In Wednesday’s Budget, the government is expected to set out changes to regulations allowing developers to apply to test driverless vehicles on roads used by other cars.

Officials estimate the industry will be worth £28 billion to the economy by 2035 and could support 27,000 jobs. Mr Hammond claimed the move could help the UK “lead the next industrial revolution”.

Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’S 0 Theresa May will go for a trip in a driverless car largest car manufacturer, has already started testing driverless cars on public roads. However, a human has always been on board to react to emergencies.

The trials, which rely on sensors that allow the cars to detect traffic, pedestrians and signals, took place in Coventry city centre over several weeks.

Mr Hammond said yesterday that one of the positive economic benefits of Britain leaving the European Union would be the ability to relax regulations for new technology firms, allowing them to flourish.

“The way the EU works is when new technologies come along, often it takes the European Union a little bit of time to get round to grabbing ... the powers to regulate them,” he said.

“Once we’re outside the EU, we’ll be able to make national regulations for the long term, trying to stimulate new technology sectors.”

The Chancellor admitted he had never experienced a driverless car for himself, but that he planned to take a trip in one today during a visit to the West Midlands with Prime Minister Theresa May. A technologyheavy Budget is also expected to include £75 million of funding to develop artificial intelligence and £400m for electric car charge points.