Under yesterday’s Autumn Statement announcement an additional £9m is being provided by the Government to increase the prize fund for driverless car testbeds – enabling trials in Bristol, London and Milton Keynes/Coventry from next year.

This is in addition to the UK Government’s £10m “Introducing Driverless Cars” competition, which was announced earlier in the year.

Part of the funding has been won by a Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)-led consortium to pilot driverless vehicles in Greenwich through the GATEway project. Brake's deputy chief executive, Julie Townsend, is to serve on the (TRL) advisory group, chaired by Lord Borwick, which will guide the project, and said that she's optimistic that this work could eventually lead to significantly reduced casualties on our roads.

Townsend said: ‘The vast majority of road crashes are caused by driver error. It follows that the development of this technology could play a major part in tackling the five deaths and 61 serious injuries that occur daily on UK roads, every one of which inflicts appalling suffering. In fact, these trials could lead to a seismic shift in how we use roads, helping to bring about far safer and greener streets and communities. By serving on the TRL-led advisory group I'll be ensuring that road safety and sustainable travel are kept at the forefront of the trial.’