Tag Archives: driverless cars

Are we really heading for driverless cars?

The Queen’s speech last week contained some cracking headlines about spaceports, drones and driverless cars as part of the ‘Modern Transport Bill’. In terms of the cars, I believe the legislation is really just about providing clear regulation frameworks and insurance liability rather than any serious public investment. However no sooner was the speech completed when various ‘experts’ were being interviewed on TV accusing the government of wasting time on pie in the sky projects rather than focusing on the real transport issues.  One such expert on Channel 5 news that evening even said that driverless car technology was ‘decades away’ and that at the moment the cars couldn’t even do basic things like drive in the rain!

Posted in News | Also tagged | 40 Comments

Opinion: Of driverless cars and passengerless trains

"Driverless Car in Bonita Springs" by Chris Griffith

Driverless cars may not be quite as revolutionary as the 19th century spread of the railway, but there are huge benefits coming into view. The sooner we can deliver them, and the sooner policymakers can take them into account, the better – with mixed results for railways.

To be conservative, let’s imagine it’s 2044 – 30 years from now. We will look back at the idea of people customarily directing 1 tonne cars at speed as madness. Millions

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 28 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • cim
    The big barrier to mass adoption of driverless cars isn't technological (not that the technology is easy) but legal. With a driver-controlled vehicle, liabil...
  • Mick Taylor
    @PM LDV word limits do not always make it possible to say everything one might like! Yes, some people, myself included, have been able to make other provision...
  • Peter Davies
    @Jana "Can I ask how you believe getting a mortgage and then paying it off ‘preferentially treated’? I do know that Mortgage Tax relief once existed but tha...
  • Mohammed Amin
    I agree with James Hill. I found our Party Leadership's reaction disappointing, and am pleased that some MPs have already pushed back. I think Ed Davey has ...
  • Alex Macfie
    Perhaps we should take a few steps back before getting hooked on the tech bros' kool-aid. It's a serious error to assume that whatever technology is currently i...