UK government is planning to grant permission for the testing of driverless vehicle technology on the country's public roads by the end of 2013.
The move is part of the Department of Transports new £28bn road investment and strategy scheme, which was unveiled in a report from the authority.
Currently the researchers at Oxford University are working with Nissan to use this technology to create semi-autonomous cars which can be operated with a driver present inside the vehicle.
But the vehicle can run independently, using knowledge of the environment in which they are driving, which will be tested on UK roads by the year end.
The report said, "They maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front at a set speed and without deviating from their lane - all without the driver's input."
Oxford team lead Paul Newman was quoted as saying by the BBC that it's a great area to be working in because it's IT and computers and that's what changes things.
"In the past our members have expressed concern about fully autonomous cars, preferring human interaction," Newman said.
"The notion of reading the newspapers and drinking a cup of coffee is a bit far-fetched. It's early days and driverless cars won't be mainstream for a long time.
"But we have a variety of in-car technologies already, including guided parking and adaptive cruise control, so fully driverless cars will be the culmination of a gradual evolution, not an overnight revolution."
