France Will Allow Automakers To Test Self-Driving Cars On Its Roads

The decision brings the Hexagon in line with other Western states, and is reportedly part of a plan called New Industrial France Initiative. The respective project involves favoring the development of industrial and manufacturing sectors in the country, which will bring extra earnings to its gross domestic product.

Autonomous cars are not the only transportation-related item on the 34-point plan called “Nouvelle France Industrielle,” which was unveiled in 2013 and is an ongoing project.

It also involves the support of aircraft development, satellite propulsion, the next TGV trains, and supporting areas of research that will bring improved autonomy for electric vehicles, as well as an internal combustion car with an average fuel consumption of less than two liters/100 kilometers (117.6 mpg).

As the French from Elysee note, France’s road network has seen autonomous cars at work before, but these were made by domestic automakers, which were required to request special permits for this kind of trial. With the new move, the country hopes to stimulate its economy with driverless vehicle testing.

According to KPMG, cars that could drive themselves might prevent up to 150 deaths a year by 2020, and the figure would account for the United Kingdom alone. France has registered 3,268 deaths caused by traffic accidents in 2013, but nobody can claim that self-driving cars alone can eliminate road casualties.

As authorities in other countries have already stated, autonomous vehicles are a solution that will reduce road fatalities and make road traffic safer than ever.

However, as many analysts have noted, driverless cars must be regulated carefully, as they must comply with a set of rules that has yet to be developed, but customers must be sure that the vehicles they might purchase with this capability are entirely able to do as they are advertised.