Self-driving cars could be on UK roads by 2026, says transport secretary

Autonomous vehicles could be on UK roads as soon as 2026, the transport secretary has said, as ministers seeks to capture as much as £42bn of the international self-driving market within the coming decade. "This technology exists, it works, and what we're doing is putting in place the proper legislation so that people can have full confidence in the safety of this technology," Mark Harper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday. Asked if people would be able to travel in self-driving vehicles "with your hands off the wheel, doing your emails" in 2026, Harper replied: "Yes, and I think that's when companies are expecting – in 2026, during that year – that we'll start seeing this technology rolled out." Responding to a question by the former Top Gear presenter James May – who was Today's guest editor – about why the government was supporting the development of autonomous driving, Harper claimed there were "a few" reasons. He said: "I think it will actually improve road safety. We already have a very good road safety record in Britain but there are still several thousand people a year killed on our roads. "It's a big economic opportunity for Britain to get what will be a big global share of market.