Driverless cars are carrying passengers on British roads for the first time in trials making motoring history.
The pioneering experiment is taking place on a 12-mile circuit in south London, but the exact route is being kept secret by the government-backed consortium behind the project.
Trials began this week in Bromley and Croydon using converted Ford Mondeos to see if the technology can operate safely on Britain’s busy roads.
Cars designed by British tech company FiveAI, which was given a £12.7m government grant to develop self-driving vehicles, will be carrying one of 130 volunteers everyday.
But at least two people will be in the cars at all times for safety reasons – a back up driver and a technician as well as the volunteer passenger and the top speed will be 30mph.
Before the latest trials tests of driverless cars on public roads in the UK have not involved ordinary members of the public.
(Image: HANDOUT FROM FIVE.AI)
The passengers in the south London tests are believed to be employees of the Direct Line insurance company, which is backing the project.
StreetWise, the consortium behind the project is planning around 130 test trips over the next two months and the cars are fitted with a system of cameras, radar and sensors to detect traffic, pedestrians and other objects.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described the trials as a “major step” towards driverless cars becoming a common sight in Britain.
He said: ”The untapped potential of self-driving vehicle technology is huge — it could enhance road safety, tackle isolation, and create economic opportunities.
“The Government’s Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy sets out how it is planning for the introduction of self-driving vehicles, and StreetWise’s successful trial will be a major step to rolling out the next phase of the UK’s transport revolution.”
(Image: PA)
The Department for Transport is behind a £250m initiative to get self-driving cars on Britain’s roads within two years.
Stan Boland, co-founder of FiveAI, said the most driverless trials so far had been conducted in the West Coast of America where, roads tended to be wider and on a grid system.
He added: “In Northern Europe, we have lower lighting, poorer satellite coverage, higher rainfall and greater density of road users.
“We also have to deal with erratic, medieval street plans that are nothing like the grid systems of the US.”
There have been safety concerns about driverless cars and last year in America, a 49-year-old mother-of-two died in Arizona when she was hit by a self-driving Uber Volvo at 38mph after it didn’t attempt to brake.
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Nearly a third of adults think we will never switch to having only driverless cars on Britain’s roads, according to a recent poll of 2,000 people by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The poll found the public remains wary of driverless technology with two thirds of people uncomfortable with the idea of travelling in an autonomous car.
And 32% would like the vehicles to be restricted to driving only up to than 30 mph, up from 27% in 2017.
The institute calls for more trials of driverless cars on UK roads so that people can see the cars in action and have a chance to ride in them.
