Britain to trial driverless cars from 2015
9 Aug TN
Driverless cars will be allowed on British roads from January 2015 as
part of a pilot initiative in three cities, the government announced .
Cities nationwide are being invited to bid to host one of a series of
trials that will last between 18 and 36 months, and to receive a share
of the £10 million ($17 million, 12.5 million euros) of government
funding for the scheme.Driverless vehicles, guided by a system of
sensors and cameras, have already been tested in several countries,
including the United States and Japan, with Sweden set to follow.
Business Secretary Vince Cable, outlining the plans, said British
scientists and engineers were “pioneers” in the development of
driverless vehicles.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 said at the headquarters of motor industry
research organisation MIRA in Nuneaton, central England.
However motoring organisations warned that road users were sceptical
of the technology.The Automobile Association said a recent survey of
more than 23,000 of its members showed that 43 percent did not agree
that the law should be changed to allow trials of the technology.AA
president Edmund King said drivers were “still resistant to change” and
that many people “enjoy driving too much to ever want the vehicle to
take over from them”.
Another motoring association, the RAC, said it would be difficult for
drivers to give up control of their vehicles.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. |