Driverless cars on British roads

The very first driverless car testing were initiated in October 24th, 2019 in the UK. Launched by Streetwise, a consortium led by Fiveai and supported by the government and the insurer Direct Line Insurance Group, the project has allowed autonomous vehicles to ride for the first time in the London neighbourhoods of Croydon and Bromley.

Every day, these experimental cars use the narrow and busy roads of London with one of the 130 volunteers on board. These latter are staff members of the Direct Line Insurance Group. The tests are carried out under real circumstances with a volunteer and a driver on board who shall be ready to intervene if need be. Streetwise, has received public funding of 12.776 million GBP (16.42 million USD) to provide the UK road network with sensors.

The most conclusive tests were carried out in the U.S west coast, where the roads are wider and the weather is warmer. According to US secretary of transportation, Grant Shapps: «Autonomous vehicles shall improve road safety and create new economic opportunities».