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U.K Approves Driverless-Car Testing on Public Roads

The British government plans to begin pilot testing autonomous vehicles on select roadways later this year and expand testing to highways and other major public roads next year.

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The British government plans to begin pilot testing autonomous vehicles on select roadways later this year and expand testing to highways and other major public roads next year.

Chancellor George Osborne says legislators also are working on proposals to remove regulatory barriers that currently restrict the use of automated driving technologies. He envisions vehicles equipped with such systems becoming commercially available by 2020.

The testing program will be formally announced Wednesday as part of the U.K. Treasury’s new budget. Initial trials are expected to be held in Bristol, Coventry, Milton Keynes and Greenwich, England.

Last month the U.K. announced a £20 million ($29 million) program to help fund various autonomous vehicle development projects. These projects will focus on vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.

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