They’re already out and about on the roads in the US – and driverless cars are set to make their UK debut in January 2015, according to the business secretary Vince Cable.
The technology will be trialled in three cities as the government launches a review into the road laws that currently ban their use. The reason for the introduction? To place Britain at the forefront of this “transformational technology” and open “up new opportunities for our economy and society,” reckons Cable. The government also claims that the technology has the potential to boost safety, lower emissions and reduce congestion.
Perhaps they should temper their expectations though – research by the AA has revealed that 43% of its members believe that trials of the technology should not even be allowed. But as public confidence in the technology invariably grows, what are the longterm ramifications of driverless cars for ADIs over the years and decades to come?
[Via The Guardian/The AA] Photo © Sam Churchill