Come January, driverless cars will be permitted on UK roads. In preparation, a review of UK road regulations has been ordered and cities are invited to compete for the honor of hosting on of the three trials.
The road tests will run 18 to 36 months and winning host cities will share a fund of just under $17 million to cover costs. Business Secretary, Vince Cable, said,”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.”
Concerns about insurance and legal issues have prevented driverless cars from public roads. Originally, the Department of Transport had planned to see driverless cars on public roads by the close of 2013. The UK is one of several countries experimenting with driverless cars on public roads. Several states in the U.S. have approved road tests, Japan carried out its first test in 2013, and Sweden has a test scheduled in 2017.