Driverless cars to hit UK roadways by January 2015

[Shawn Knight]

Driverless cars will hit UK roadways within six months, putting the country at the forefront of the autonomous vehicle movement and opening up new opportunities for the local economy and society according to UK business secretary Vince Cable.

The country's Department of Transportation has launched a £10 million ($17 million) fund to spark interest and make sure everything is ready to go by January 2015. Three cities will be selected to host trials lasting between 18 and 36 months in which two different types of driving technology will be tested with the public's help.

In one test, automated vehicles will be tested with a qualified driver that can take over control of the car should the need arise. The other trial will involve fully autonomous vehicles without a human driver present.

Transport minister Claire Perry said driverless cars have huge potential to transform the UK's transport network. They could improve safety, reduce congestion and lower emissions. As such, they are determined to ensure driverless cars can fulfill this potential, Perry added.

The UK is no stranger to self-driving cars as they've been testing them on public roads since last year. The new program, however, marks the first time that citizens would get in on the action. Whether or not that's a good idea depends on who you ask.

Last month, an internal report from the FBI listed multiple situations where such vehicles could be used as "lethal weapons."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/57580-driverless-cars-hit-uk-roadways-january-2015.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

"Driverless cars to hit UK roadways by January 2015".
Apart from the roadways what else are they expected to hit?

 

[Guest]

Well this is typical of British Government. Jump in the deep end and get it completely wrong.

Being a country of beer guzzling *****s, and having a huge alcohol problem, we thought we could follow the Dutch and such with 24 hour bar licenses.... without any slow progression, without any real trial areas, and immediately town centers turned into UFC toilets.

I also suspect this could end badly. Nissan wanted to bring automated driving, and from what I read, I imagined, for example the slow left lane on motorways, to be full of electronic self automated nissan leaf vehicles. All plodding along neatly in a line. And said lane would be made from the glass panels from a previous Techspot article ( https://www.techspot.com/news/56706...ith-intelligent-energy-generating-panels.html ) . A lane able to keep cars charged, bring wi fi connectivity.

Allowing all brands of vehicles to do as they please in the automation field, means there would be no real unity and the way forward would have no real " one vision ". There needs to be an overall government plan, so everyone is on the same page and not arguing over patents and technologies. And if your English automated vehicle drives to the Eurotunnel, will it automatically change to French drive on the right hand side of the road settings ?

 

[amstech]

I believe the UK is mature enough to attempt implementation. The US? Lol. We aren't concerned about making the world a better place, just making more money.

 

[cmbjive]

I believe the UK is mature enough to attempt implementation. The US? Lol. We aren't concerned about making the world a better place, just making more money.

And how exactly will a driverless car make the world a better place?

 

[VitalyT]

"Driverless cars to hit UK roadways by January 2015".
Apart from the roadways what else are they expected to hit?

And if it continues driving after that, who is to be sued for hit'n run?

 

[davislane1]

I believe the UK is mature enough to attempt implementation. The US? Lol. We aren't concerned about making the world a better place, just making more money.

And how exactly will a driverless car make the world a better place?

I'm sure someone will cite projections of fewer vehicle-related deaths, but the real gift to the world will be the ability to sleep through traffic jams. Double if you've got an autonomous RV with a comfy toilet.

 

[VitalyT]

And how exactly will a driverless car make the world a better place?

It seems that getting the world rid of human presence is the only way of making it a better place so perhaps human extinction will be the next best thing to happen to this planet.

 

[BMfan]

It seems that getting the world rid of human presence is the only way of making it a better place so perhaps human extinction will be the next best thing to happen to this planet.

(y)

 

[Holotus]

PRO: less traffic jams, reduced stress levels, less fatalities, less pollution, etc

CON: You can surely bet that your human rights and freedoms will be stripped away when you enter the vehicle. Not only that but the cameras on the cars will track literally EVERYTHING they see passing by. Also expect governmental agencies to use facial recognition to track everyone from the cars as well. In the cars there will of course be microphones and camera sensors so that you can instruct the car of your desirable location..... however.... such agencies will be able to tap into it and listen to everyone's conversations at once.

 

[Guest]

Hehehe.
driving without license, driving with suspended license, and now: driving without driver. I'm not religious but if I were the passenger of such driverless car, I hope god is the invisible co-driver.