Driverless car technology has been steaming ahead, with the UK establishing itself as a leading player.
A new report predicts that driverless cars will further boost Britain’s auto industry, and add £51bn a year to the economy.
It will also create 320,000 new jobs and save 2,500 lives between now and 2030.
Britain already has four trial schemes under way (in London, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry) to see how the technology can be integrated into use on roads. The Government has invested £19m in the pilot project.
In the Budget Chancellor George Osborne announced a further £100m of funding to investigate the technology, a sum which will be matched by industry.
Britain never ratified the EU convention that says vehicles must have drivers which means the country was able to jump ahead of any European rivals.
The Government will no doubt have welcomed the new report compiled by KPMG which further predicts that by 2030 all new vehicles will be fitted with systems which can connect online thus providing a variety of driving devices to help provide security.
Connected cars will be able to ‘talk’ to each other, giving great scope for avoiding collisions and preventing traffic jams.
Autonomous vehicles will be able to drive themselves away from city centres when not in use which would free up space taken by parked cars.
Industry insiders are optimistic that connected and autonomous cars will transform road use and safety.
