Ontario announced Tuesday it will allow self-driving vehicles to be tested on public roads beginning Jan. 1, making it the first place in Canada to do so.
The plan allows vehicles on all roads.
Under guidelines set up last year, a person trained to operate a self-driving vehicle must be in the driver’s seat at all times, and vehicles being tested must have a mechanism to disable the autonomous technology if trouble arises.
The testing is part of a strategy to help Ontario partake in some of the billions of dollars auto makers, parts companies and technology firms are spending to develop self-driving vehicles.
Supporters of self-driving cars say their main benefits are safety and reductions of fuel consumption.
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