The UK government has launched a £20m competitive fund for research and development into driverless vehicles, part of a £100m investment in intelligent mobility research announced in the Spring 2015 Budget.

The government is seeking proposals in areas including safety, reliability, communication between vehicles and with the surrounding environment, and how driverless vehicles can help give an ageing population greater independence.

Any successful proposals will have to match the government funding with their own money.

Alongside the fund C-CAV (Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles), the governments newly-formed joint policy unit, has launched a code of practice for testing driverless vehicles.

Testing organisations will be expected to communicate with local transport authorities and emergency services, and all test operators will require a relevant drivers licence and be able to drive the vehicle manually if needed. This also means adhering to the same laws as any other driver, such as not using a phone at the wheel, even when not driving.