Yahoo News Driverless cars in London will be unmarked so real drivers don’t bully them
The first driverless cars to be used by British motorists will be unmarked because of the fear that other drivers will bully them on the roads.
Swedish manufacturer Volvo will begin testing 100 cars around London with public volunteers in 2018, but they will not have any branding to signify that they are self-driving.
Erik Coelingh, senior technical leader at Volvo, said they will be left unmarked deliberately so real drivers won’t “take them on”.
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He told The Observer: “From the outside you won’t see that it’s a self-driving car.
“From a purely scientific perspective it would be interesting to have some cars that are marked as self-driving cars and some that are not and see whether other road users react in a different way.
“I would expect they will, but I don’t know how and to what extent.
“So just to be on the safe side they will all be unmarked cars.
“I’m pretty sure that people will challenge them if they are marked by doing really harsh braking in front of a self-driving car or putting themselves in the way.”
The trial of the 4x4 Volvos will be different to those involving other driverless cars, which have always been custom-made and distinguishable from their piloted counterparts.
There is a fear that motorists will overtake or cut off driverless vehicles because they are perceived to be law-abiding.
A recent survey of 12,000 drivers in 11 countries by the London School of Economics found that aggressive drivers will try to bully self-driving vehicles.
The Volvo trial in London will be the first to use public volunteers, who will be loaned the 4x4s and asked to sit in the driving seat.
Volvo is testing its driverless technology in Gothenburg.
Earlier this year, it announced it would invest £250 million into a joint self-driving project with Uber.
(Picture: Getty)
