April 29, 2021—The UK government on Wednesday became the first country to announce it will regulate the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways, Reuters reported.
The first such cars could possibly appear on public roads as soon as this year, the report says, with the UK government hoping to be at the forefront of rolling out autonomous driving technology. Its transport ministry forecasts that by 2035 around 40 percent of new UK cars could have self-driving capabilities, creating up to 38,000 new skilled jobs.
"The automotive industry welcomes this vital step to permit the use of automated vehicles on UK roads, which will put Britain in the vanguard of road safety and automotive technology," Mike Hawes, CEO of car industry lobby group the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, says in a statement.
The government said the use of Automated Lane Keeping Systems would be restricted to motorways, at speeds under 37 miles (60 km) per hour.
