UK autonomous driving projects given go-ahead for public use

Next step is for the government to introduce a code of practice that will provide framework to trial cars in real-life scenarios.

The UK Government's Department for Transport (DfT) has announced today (11 February) that it has opened the way for autonomous driving projects to test vehicles on public roads. According to a statement, the announcement followed a six-month review, and trialled vehicles will initially have individuals who can take control where necessary. However, it has also looked further ahead at the implications of testing fully automated vehicles. It added that the next step is for the government to introduce a code of practice that will provide the industry with the framework it needs to trial cars in real-life scenarios, and to create more sophisticated versions of the models that already exist. The code of practice is scheduled to be published during early 2015, with the first driverless cars to be tested on roads by mid-year.