A new Department for Transport report has stated that both the Highway Code and the MOT test will have to be amended in order to accommodate driverless cars on British roads.

The new research coincides with the news that Milton Keynes and Coventry will be the testing grounds for two new self-driven pods.

Meanwhile, a self-driven shuttle will be tested in Greenwich and an autonomous vehicle called a Wildcat – being developed by British Aerospace – will be tested in Bristol.

The government will fund these four driverless car schemes as part of its intention for the UK to be at the centre of driverless car technology. £19m will be provided in total.

A key consideration surrounding driverless cars is how the public will react to them. According to a Virgin survey last year, 43 per cent of Britons would not feel comfortable with driverless cars on the nation's roads.

There are also issues regarding infrastructure to overcome, alongside how the repair industry will need to change in order to maintain driverless vehicles – a key aspect of which will relate to car breakdown cover services.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) believe UK businesses need to take steps to ensure driverless cars can be repaired and maintained if and when they become a common feature in the UK.

"We believe the government is yet to fully [realise] the pressures we are under," said IMI chief executive Steve Nash.