Car satnavs are set to get a major update in the coming months that could help massively reduce journey times.
Tomorrow, Roads Minister Guy Opperman is expected to announce new changes that will not only help current drivers but also help pave the way for a future driverless car revolution.
Satnavs and Google Maps will soon include live data on road closures, parking restrictions and temporary speed limits in England.
Currently, not all local councils store the information digitally, meaning that they are missed on satnav systems.
Roads minister is set to announce the changes tomorrow
PA
It has led to drivers being stuck unnecessarily in traffic when ore suitable alternative arrangements were avaliable.
Opperman is to confirm that all local councils in England will be required to digitally upload the data onto a central database.
The information will then be made freely available online for satnavs and mapping services.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s announcement, Opperman said: “This Government is on the side of drivers, which is why we’re making travelling by road much easier.
The information will be made freely available online for satnavs and mapping services
PA
“Everyone knows the frustrations of being sent down a closed road by your satnav, so by going digital with our traffic information we’re making sure that drivers have the very latest travel information to rely on.”
The Department for Transport added that the new digitalised system would “also be crucial for ensuring autonomous vehicles can rely on accurate and up-to-date information so that they can operate safely once they start driving on British roads”.
Last year the Government said that driverless cars could be on the road in the UK by 2026.
“This technology exists, it works, and what we’re doing is putting in place the proper legislation so that people can have full confidence in the safety of this technology,” Transport Secretary Mark Harper said in December.
“I think it will actually improve road safety. We already have a very good road safety record in Britain but there are still several thousand people a year killed on our roads. That could be improved.
“It’s a big economic opportunity for Britain to get what will be a big global share of market.
“The final thing is, there are a lot of people who currently don’t have the opportunity to get the freedom that many of us drivers take for granted.
“For example, there are people who have disabilities, people with learning disabilities, who don’t have the same freedom that driving brings the rest of us.
“This potentially opens up a whole new world for personal freedom, getting to work, having the ability to not have to rely on other people.”
The database for satnavs and Google Maps is set to be in place by the end of the year.
