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Driverless cars could end courtesy

Posted on 25 September, 2016

A friendly flash of the lights or letting someone into traffic could be a thing of the past if driverless cars strictly follow the road rules, according to motorists surveyed by uSwitch.com.

Three quarters (75 per cent) of motorists say autonomous cars will spell the end of the informal courteous driving ‘rules’, the online UK survey shows. The top etiquette driving habits that could disappear include flashing your headlights, according to 51 per centof respondents, moving aside for emergency services (35 per cent), letting other drivers out of side streets in busy traffic (32 per cent) and being considerate to pedestrians (28 per cent). Seventy per cent of motorists fear driverless cars could cause delays and accidents by taking the road rules too literally. The unwritten rules of the road are all part of a polite driving experience but could be a “huge blind spot” for autonomous vehicles, says Rod Jones, insurance expert at uSwitch.com. “These courteous gestures can vary from situation to situation and add the human touch to motoring.” The informal driving code could make it difficult for humans and robots to drive side-by-side, at least to begin with, Jones says. However, motorists agree driverless cars could eradicate some annoying human habits. Tailgating (59 per cent), cutting off other drivers (42 per cent), not indicating (41 per cent) and speeding (38 per cent) are some of the habits motorists want to get rid of the most. Last week, proposed guidelines for driverless vehicles were released in the US. In New Zealand, the first autonomous-vehicle trial will be run by Volvo and the New Zealand Traffic Institute in Tauranga in November.