Self-driving cars will be tested on roads in the U.K. by the end of 2013 according to a report by the Department for Transport.
Drivers will be required inside each vehicle but the car will be able to drive by itself.
Researchers at the University of Oxford are currently working with Nissan to make semi-autonomous cars that will be able to drive fully independently "using knowledge of the environment in which they are driving" according to the report posted this week.
The trial run is set to hit the road later this year.
The Department for Transport will invest $42 billion in the road network to try easing congestion on roads.
"They maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front at a set speed and without deviating from their lane - all without the driver's input," said the report.
Google and other car companies have dabbled at cars that can drive themselves in the U. S. and states like Nevada, Florida, and California have already allowed testing of self-driving cars.
Despite their efforts, no company has been able to release a self-driving car to the public as of yet. Better yet, self-driving technology all together hasn't even reached the point where it can be authorized for use by the public according to the U.S. Department of Transportation who spoke about autonomous cars this spring.
The NHTSA has already "urged" states to not allow operation of autonomous cars for purposes other than testing.
"Self-driving vehicle technology is not yet at the stage of sophistication or demonstrated safety capability that it should be authorized for use by members of the public for general driving purposes," the agency said in its report in May.
If states chose not to listen however, the NHTSA wants those drivers to undergo special training and have them obtain special licenses according to Reuters.
"We see tremendous promise in these technologies whether you're looking at the current active safety systems in some vehicles today or whether you're looking at a truly autonomous vehicle," David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.
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