The Cabinet has agreed to amend legislation to allow self-driving cars to be tested on Irish public roads.
Transport Minister Shane Ross brought a memo to his ministerial colleagues, who held a special meeting in Trim, Co Meath today.
The legislation would mean re-defining the term "driver" in law to permit big technology and motor companies to trial their autonomous vehicles here.
The Cabinet has agreed to amend legislation to allow self-driving cars to be tested on Irish public roads.
— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) December 6, 2019
In a 2018 national survey, 40% of people believed self-driving cars were a good idea.
This rose to 54% of those aged under 25 years.
Some 27% of people said they were 'strongly interested' in owning a self-driving vehicle.
While 35% said they would trust a self-driving car to bring them home safely from a destination.
This peaked among those under 25, and motorists who have used in-car features.
The poll for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) also found that 36% of Irish motorists thought self-driving cars would be on Irish roads in 10 years or less.
The survey was conducted via a face-to-face barometer survey by Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A), with a nationally representative sample of 991 adults aged 16 years and over.
Friday's Cabinet meeting was the latest in a series taking place outside of Government Buildings in Dublin.
Reporting by Shane Beatty and Jack Quann
