A YouGov survey suggests that the government has a challenge to win the public over to the idea of hands-free driving.

A consultation was launched last week asking for evidence on using new technology for automated driving to keep the vehicle within its lane and in control without the driver needing to do anything but be ready to take back control if prompted.

However when asked “Are you comfortable or uncomfortable with the idea of driverless cars being allowed on the motorway at some point next year?”, 69% of drivers were either “not very comfortable” or “not comfortable at all”. Only six per cent were “very comfortable” with the idea.

The idea is that the technology could be used at slower speeds on the motorway, allowing people to let the car drive in traffic jams, for example.