Fears over hi-tech vehicles being tested on British roads

DRIVERLESS cars have been hailed by the Government as a transport of tomorrow.

Trials are already under way in Bristol, southeast London, Milton Keynes and Coventry. In March, the Chancellor pledged that the vehicles will move out of test centres and on to Britain’s motorways from next year.

In February, the Government ploughed £20million into eight projects, including driverless shuttles to transport the visuallyimpaired. And, in March’s Queen’s Speech, it unveiled legislation that will allow such vehicles to be insured under ordinary policies.

It is claimed that by reducing or removing human input, the number of crashes could be slashed by 95 per cent, dramatically reducing deaths and injuries. Chancellor George Osborne said: ‘Driverless cars could represent the most fundamental change to transport since the invention of the internal combustion engine.

‘Naturally, we need to ensure safety, and that’s what the trials we are introducing will test.

‘If successful, we could see driverless cars available for sale and on Britain’s roads, boosting jobs and productivity.’

Most major IT and automotive companies, including Google, Uber and Tesla, are investing in the technology and Britain is seen as an ideal place to test it.

While US law limits the vehicles to a handful of states, UK regulations allow them to be tested anywhere without special permits. Nissan plans to build driverless cars in its Sunderland plant and Google is considering starting test drives on the Isle of Man.

The Department for Transport has drawn up a code of practice for driverless cars, setting out safety standards for testing.

It is hoped they will eventually be capable of running without human help, but rules will require a professional driver to be in the car.

They could not be used to ferry children around without an adult behind the wheel, nor could owners use them to get home from the pub while drunk. A Department for Transport spokesman said driverless cars will benefit society, boost the economy and enhance road safety.