The Long Road to Automated Cars

Sergey Brin knows a little about ground-breaking technology. But when the Google co-founder said in 2012 that we could'count on one hand' the number of years it'd take for'most of us to have access to autonomous cars', it still sounded a bold prediction. So more than eight years on, where do we find ourselves? Autonomous or'self-drive' cars are already on the road in the US, while on this side of the pond, the Government is consulting on allowing self-drive vehicles to travel on public motorways at up to 70mph from as early as spring next year. However, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Thatcham Research, an independent motoring body funded by the insurance industry, has pushed back warning that if systems were defined legally as'automated' (meaning drivers can take their hands off the steering wheel), it would pose a major risk to safety on the roads.