Tailgating encouraged in future motoring

The first test of a convoy of cars being driven by remote control among other traffic has been successfully carried out along 125 miles of a Spanish motorway.

It is the biggest milestone yet for the Sartre project – Safe Road Trains for the Environment – since its launch three years ago.

Swedish car maker Volvo, one of the partners, has predicted that motorists will be able to read, watch films or even sleep behind the wheel within a decade while their cars are “driven” over long distances by the lead vehicle of the convoy.

It claimed the technology will improve road safety, while saving fuel and emissions by reducing drag because vehicles will be positioned as little as 20ft apart.

The road trains involve a professional driver, in a bus or lorry, taking over the controls of up to 15 following cars.

Click here for a graphic of how the road train works

The convoy mimics the lead vehicle: accelerating, braking and turning in exactly the same way as the leader.

Vehicles could join the convoy at motorway service areas or by simply joining the end of the line of cars, whose location would be shown on a dashboard screen.

When in position, drivers would then hand over control by pressing a switch, then press it again to leave the road train.

The trial near Barcelona included three Volvo cars and a lorry, with the convoy driven at 53mph. The vehicles travelled with gaps of 17ft to 50ft between them.

Organisers described the test as “highly successful”.

Volvo project manager Linda Wahlström said: “We covered 125 miles in one day and the test turned out well. We’re really delighted.

“Driving among other road users is a great milestone in our project. It was truly thrilling.

“Sitting in a car just 20ft behind another one while travelling at 53mph and relying totally on the technology may feel a bit scary, but the experiences gained so far indicate people acclimatise very quickly.”

The project has clocked up more than 6,000 miles, with the wireless technology involved being the only extra equipment drivers are expected to need.

Ms Wahlström said: “People think autonomous driving is science-fiction, but the technology is already here.

“From the purely conceptual viewpoint it works fine, and road trains will be around in one form or another in the future.”

However, Neil Greig, the Scotland-based policy and research director of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, doubted its usefulness.

He said: “Technology has the potential to deliver a safer driving experience, but on congested roads in Scotland this concept will take years to be accepted by drivers as 100 per cent safe.

“It throws up all sorts of questions about who is responsible in the road train if a mistake is made, as well as the reliability of technology and its ability to react to those out-of-the-blue moments that cause so many problems.”