Love or hate the idea, driverless cars are coming. And thanks to the relentless drumbeat of Moore’s Law, exactly when that happens is more a matter of policy than engineering . Car companies like Volvo and Audi have told Ars that their driverless cars are almost ready to go on sale, but only if regulations are in place that make the public feel safe enough to buy them. Governments will have to be satisfied that autonomous vehicles can coexist on our roads without becoming death-dealing four-wheeled robots, and that means testing them out. Today, the UK’s Department for Transport gave car companies the green light to begin that testing in Bristol, Coventry, Milton Keynes, and Greenwich (a borough in London).

The move was not entirely unexpected, but comes with the publication of a technology report from the Department for Transport. In a statement Transport Minister Claire Perry said “the trials present a fantastic opportunity for this country to take a lead internationally in the development of this new technology.” The UK is the first country in Europe to allow autonomous car trials to go ahead, as plans in Sweden won’t see robotic Volvos on roads until 2017.

Also revealed at the announcement were some of the vehicles that will be put to the test. These included a shuttle reminiscent of the kind you see at theme parks (which will ferry passengers around North Greenwich) and a Union Flag-emblazoned pod, a small fleet of which will soon begin mapping the streets of Milton Keynes.