The U.K. government has announced that it will allow driverless cars to be tested on roads in at least three cities starting in January.

Cities will be chosen as part of a contest, according to BBC News. UK cities that want to host one of the trials have until October to announce their interest.

Tests will run for 18 to 36 months.

Officials also ordered a review of the UK's road regulations to provide appropriate guidelines for driverless vehicles.

The Department for Transportation originally said it would allow self-driving cars on roads by the end of 2013.

Details of the new plan were revealed by Business Secretary Vince Cable at a research facility belonging to Mira, an automotive engineering firm.

"Today's announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months, putting us at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities for our economy and society," Cable said, according to BBC News.

Two types of vehicles will be tested. One will have a driver in the vehicle to take over in the event of an emergency. The other vehicle will have no driver inside the vehicle as it will be fully autonomous.

British Transport Minister Claire Perry feels that driverless vehicles could improve traffic flow and make driving safer, while also reducing carbon emissions, according to BBC News.

Computers inside the vehicle can be programmed to accelerate slowly, using less gas then a human might use when coming to a red light or stop sign.

By obeying all speed limits, autonomous vehicles will use less gas as well.

Potential benefits of autonomous technology also includes the elimination of drunk driving accidents and accidents altogether.

Other locations around the world are also developing driverless technology, like the United States and Japan.

California, Nevada and Florida have all approved tests of the vehicles. Google's driverless car has achieved over 300,000 miles on open roads to date.

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