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What the Autumn Statement Means for Drivers in the UK

On 3^rd December 2014, Chancellor George Osborne announced his Autumn Statement, which contained several pieces of interesting information for motorists in the UK. He revealed plans to renovate roads and overall improve the driving experience in Britain.

The main announcements to affect drivers:

1) Plans for first trials of driverless cars

Mr. Osborne revealed that a UK consortium, made up of Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Milton Keynes Council, Coventry Council, AXA, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and the Open University had won the government’s funding to test driverless cars in selected UK cities. It was announced that an additional £9m funding for the work had been granted, on top of the £10m that was announced in July.

2) Fuel Duty

To the delight of many drivers it was announced that fuel duty would remain frozen

3) Petrol Comparison Displays on Motorways

The Chancellor announced a new plan to install electronic petrol comparison displays on UK motorways to inform drivers of what prices different service stations are offering for petrol. This is to allow all motorists the chance to save money on high petrol costs by increasing competition.

4) Lane Miles

1300 new lane miles have been announced in a bid to cut traffic time.

5) Smart Motorways

It was also announced that £1.5billion would be invested to create extra lanes on key motorways and turn them into smart motorways.

6) Road Revolution

Mr. Osborne also highlighted the £15bn road revolution which had been announced by Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month. The plan involves spending £15bn to improve Britain’s infrastructure, including plans to build a tunnel underneath Stonehenge.