The United Kingdom government announced driverless cars will be allowed on public roads starting in January 2015, reports BBC News. Ministers also ordered a review of the UK's road regulations to provide appropriate guidelines for the new technology.
UK engineers have been experimenting with driverless cars, but concerns about legal and insurance issues have restricted the machines on private roads, until now. The Department of Transport originally pledged to let self-driving cars be trailed on public roads by the end of 2013, says BBC News.
The UK joins the U.S. states of California, Nevada, and Florida in approving tests of driverless vehicles. In California alone, Google's driverlss car has done more than 300,000 miles on the open road, says BBC News.
Nissan carried out Japan's first public road test of a driverless vehicle on a highway in 2013. The Swedish city of Gothenburg has given Volvo permission to test 100 driverless cars, starting 2017.
The UK is inviting cities to compete to host one of three trails of the driverless technology in January. The tests will run for between 18 to 36 months.Business Secretary Vince Cable says the move will put the UK “at the forefront of this transformational technology,” and provide new opportunities for the country's economy, says BBC News.
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