A new project funded by the UK government and industry has proven that autonomous vehicles can operate in London’s crowded streets safely and under every-day conditions.

The £13.6m programme demonstrated the technology over a week in the east of London. Following the trial Minister of State at the Department for Transport, George Freeman MP, said:

“Self-driving technology has the scope to revolutionise the way people travel, with potentially profound benefits for road safety, accessibility and convenience. We want to drive the roll-out of self-driving vehicles and continue to support innovators developing this ground-breaking technology.”

The prototype vehicles have succeeded driving in complex urban environments without the need for human input. This means that fully autonomous vehicles have made an important step forward towards everyday operation on our roads.