Mediaboss Marketing

Drivers will be monitored using an infrared camera to ensure they are still paying attention to the road and the system will show warning messages and audible alerts before slowing down the vehicle if it thinks the driver has been distracted.

Drivers are not legally permitted to use their mobile phone or otherwise take their attention away from the road.

Ford said it had carried out 100,000 miles of testing that had shown the system was able to handle worn-out lane markings, roadworks and poor weather that are mainstays of driving in Britain.

It will cost 17.99 a month for access to the service, which will for now only be available to owners of its Mustang Mach-E electric car.

The announcement is expected to kick off a rush to launch hands-free driving systems in Britain, which are a key step towards fully driverless vehicles. Toyota, Nissan and BMW have all unveiled plans for their own hands-free features.

Driver assistance software such as Teslas Autopilot already exist in the UK but require the driver to have hands on the wheel at all times.

Jesse Norman, the transport minister, said: It is great news that Ford has chosen Great Britain for the European launch of their BlueCruise technology, and I am delighted that this country is once more at the forefront of innovation.

The latest advanced driver assistance systems make driving smoother and easier, but they can also make roads safer by reducing scope for driver error.

Read the rest here:
Ford Mustang Mach-E launches as Britain's first hands-free self ... - The Telegraph