Self-driving cars could hit Britain's roads by 2023 under new plans announced by the government.
Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps says the first cars, coaches and heavy trucks with self-driving capabilities could hit the highway next year. Autonomous driving features include adaptive cruise control, which accelerates and brakes the vehicle to maintain a selected distance from the vehicle ahead, and lane centering steering, which keeps the vehicle centered in the marked lane. increase.
Following the initial deployment, full-scale self-driving cars will be on UK roads by 2025.
The scheme will invest £100 million to boost deployment and the Ministry of Transport will create up to 38,000 jobs for the self-driving industry and generate £42 billion in estimated to be worth
The plan will introduce new legislation in Phase 2 in 2025 to enable the safe deployment of self-driving cars. This is backed by his £34 million worth of research to help develop safety to inform new legislation.
Under the proposal made by the Legal Commission, drivers could not be prosecuted for careless or dangerous driving. When the car is in self-driving mode, there is no penalty for speeding or running a red light.
Building on his existing £40m investment, a further £20m will be used to support the launch of commercial self-driving services, and a further £6m for market research and technology commercialization. used to assist with
We want the UK to be at the forefront of the development and use of this amazing technology. want to stand That's why we invest millions of dollars in critical safety research
Secretary of Transportation Grant Shaps
Dozens of companies around the world are developing and testing the vehicles, some of which are already on the road.
The government said the deployment of this technology could revolutionize public transportation, especially for non-drivers, and help reduce road collisions caused by human error.
Vehicles capable of driving themselves on highways could be launched within the next year, but said users would need a valid driver's license to drive the vehicle on other roads.
Other self-driving vehicles, which are used for public transport of deliveries and which the government hopes will be on public roads by 2025, will be fully self-driving and therefore require a driver's license. would be used without
“The potential benefits of self-driving cars are enormous.said Transportation Secretary Grant Shaps.
, which is expected to make roads safer.
Grant Shaps says the deployment of self-driving cars will revolutionize public transportation
55}
(PA)
We want the UK to be at the forefront of the development and use of this amazing technology, so we can do what we can to make important research on safety. We have invested millions of dollars and are enacting legislation to ensure that we get all the benefits this technology promises.”
Governments are currently discussing the safety of self-driving technology. It said it plans to enact new legislation based on existing legislation, making manufacturers responsible for the behavior of their vehicles when autonomous driving is active. Human drivers are not responsible for accidents where autonomous driving is taking place.
In response to the plan, AA President Edmund King said: forward legislation.
"Driver assistance systems such as automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control are already helping millions of drivers stay safe on the road.
" We're still making a big leap from still-controllable driver assistance to car-controlled autonomous driving.
"Governments are trying to make sure these vehicles can be used on a variety of roads and other roads in changing weather conditions." It is important to investigate how they interact with users.
"But it has been claimed to save thousands of lives and improve mobility for the elderly and people with limited mobility." In that regard, the ultimate prize is worth pursuing."