Driverless cars could be tested on UK motorways in 2017

LONDON — Driverless cars will begin trials on local roads in the UK this year, motorways the next, and could be widely used by 2020, if Chancellor George Osborne has his way.

Osborne will use the occasion of the budget statement Wednesday to announce measures intended to make Britain a leader in the technology.

“Driverless cars could represent the most fundamental change to transport since the invention of the internal combustion engine," Osborne said, in an emailed statement to Mashable.

"Naturally we need to ensure safety, and that’s what the trials we are introducing will test. If successful, we could see driverless cars available for sale and on Britain’s roads, boosting UK jobs and productivity,” he said. Read more...