Volvo Does Driverless Trials, "Drive Me London" In The UK In 2017

The UK would be seeing a number of driverless cars coursing on public roads around London by 2017. And these vehicles would have actual live people behind each wheel.

Volvo, the Swedish auto manufacturer behind the driverless project, announced that the driver would be operating "hands-off" in each vehicle, BBC reported. Gothenburg in Sweden would also be participating in the car trials at the same time.

Project "Drive Me London" would aim to gather and record real-time data throughout each journey to further improve the existing technology and see it adjust to real-world protocols. The trial is also expected to extend until 2018 to accommodate more driverless cars up to a hundred, which could be a record-breaking feat for Volvo should it prove successful.

Volvo Cars' president Håkan Samuelsson said in an interview that autonomous driving is a step up in car safety technology. With about 90 percent of accidents caused by human errors, studies recommend that AD could save lives up to at least 30 percent, added Samuelsson, as per the publication.

Wired UK also shared in a related report that a convoy of trucks would be joining the driverless car trials. A number of trucks are slated to do line-driving, however, truck braking and acceleration control would be overseen by its lead driver.

Samuelsson is also asking for government assistance, on behalf of the auto industry, to aid in getting driverless cars on roads anytime soon. It is also not a hidden fact that few other driverless cars have already done testing in the UK. Chancellor George Osborne has already announced that a number of autonomous vehicles would be doing run trials in 2017 via a planned road network.

The Swedish car maker is also planning on having in-car entertainment as an added feature for driverless vehicles. The company has been reported to have partnered with mobile company Ericsson in creating technology which allows passengers to view high-quality videos while in transit in a driverless car, according to the publication.