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The UK government will allow self-driving cars to operate on motorways later this year.
Vehicles fitted with a lane-keeping system will be permitted at speeds of up to 37 mph.
The UK remains a ways behind the US, where Google-owned Waymo operates autonomous taxis.
Motorists in the UK could soon be able to take their hands off the wheel while driving as the country outlines its plans to introduce regulations for self-driving cars.
The UK government on Wednesday set out how vehicles fitted with an automated lane-keeping system could be allowed on the roads by the end of 2021.
Such systems, which were first used in Japan, can help a vehicle to stay in its lane in slow-moving traffic on motorways (freeways), while allowing the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel but safely take over when necessary. They can t, however, be relied on to navigate a car from a London borough to a suburb just outside Birmingham, for example.
British Transport Minister Rachel Maclean hailed the announcement as a major step for the safe use of self-driving vehicles in the U.K., adding that it could make future journeys greener, easier, and more reliable.
The government said the use of ALKS will be limited to speeds of up to 37 miles per hour on British motorways, meaning it will only really be used in heavy traffic. It did not immediately respond when CNBC asked if it is planning to trial the technology or allow members of the public to use ALKS in their own cars.
Such systems, which were first used in Japan, can help a vehicle to stay in its lane in slow-moving traffic on motorways (freeways), while allowing the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel but safely take over when necessary. They can t, however, be relied on to navigate a car from a London borough to a suburb just outside Birmingham, for example.
British Transport Minister Rachel Maclean hailed the announcement as a major step for the safe use of self-driving vehicles in the U.K., adding that it could make future journeys greener, easier, and more reliable.
The government said the use of ALKS will be limited to speeds of up to 37 miles per hour on British motorways, meaning it will only really be used in heavy traffic. It did not immediately respond when CNBC asked if it is planning to trial the technology or allow members of the public to use ALKS in their own cars.
Such systems, which were first used in Japan, can help a vehicle to stay in its lane in slow-moving traffic on motorways (freeways), while allowing the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel but safely take over when necessary. They can t, however, be relied on to navigate a car from a London borough to a suburb just outside Birmingham, for example.
British Transport Minister Rachel Maclean hailed the announcement as a major step for the safe use of self-driving vehicles in the U.K., adding that it could make future journeys greener, easier, and more reliable.
The government said the use of ALKS will be limited to speeds of up to 37 miles per hour on British motorways, meaning it will only really be used in heavy traffic. It did not immediately respond when CNBC asked if it is planning to trial the technology or allow members of the public to use ALKS in their own cars.