14 December 2016

Self-driving cars would enable 'enjoying the scenery'

Ford Fusion autonomous test cars in the US.
Eight in ten motorists across Europe says they'd 'relax and enjoy the scenery' if they were in a self-driving autonomous car, writes Brian Byrne.

The survey commissioned by Ford also shows that seven in ten would use the time in the car  'chat on the phone' and almost two-thirds would 'have a bite to eat'.

Some 16pc of respondents said they'd be quite happy to send their children to school on their own in an autonomous vehicle.

Ford plans to start testing autonomous cars on European roads next year, and is planning to provide autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service in the US in 2021.

Ford has committed to going direct to 'Level 4' autonomy, meaning the car is able to drive unmonitored in a specific use case such as a city area.