Motorists worry if driverless cars will understand good driving etiquette

And there were some hopes from motorists that machines might actually improve manners. Of the drivers surveyed, 59 per cent hoped tailgating would become a thing of the past once driverless cars were introduced, while two in five said they would hope it would spell the end of drivers cutting each other up and failing to indicate at junctions. But despite the positive impact to remove poor driving habits from the road, just 59 per cent think their car insurance premiums will fall as a result of more driverless cars coming onto the road. Rod Jones, insurance expert at uSwitch.com said: 'The unwritten rules of the road are all part of the polite British driving experience but could be a huge blind spot for autonomous vehicles. 'Flashing your lights to let someone out of a junction may seem obvious, but these courteous gestures can vary from situation to situation and add the human touch to motoring. 'The Highway Code was created to promote safer driving, but over the years we have developed our own human driving code. 'It is clear that many drivers don't expect driverless cars to understand our driving habits, which could, certainly to begin with, make it difficult for humans and robots to drive side by side. 'For British drivers to feel safe on the roads, they need to be confident about how a driverless car will react in any given situation. Clarifying the rules in the Highway Code is an important step towards this.'