Rósa urges Iceland to prepare for self-driving cars

Iceland should prepare for the arrival of self-driving cars, MP Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir said after trying one during a visit to Texas this week, mbl.is reported. She posted a video of the experience on Instagram.

Guðbjartsdóttir, a member of the Independence Party, said Iceland should keep pace with countries it often compares itself with. She has submitted two parliamentary resolution proposals on the issue, one this spring and another in September, and said preparations would likely require changes to the law.

“One country after another, both in Europe and across the Atlantic, has started moving forward with this development,” she said.

She said self-driving technology could also change family life by reducing the need for households to own more than one car. A car could take someone to work and then return home to be used for other errands during the day, she said.

Guðbjartsdóttir said the transport plan for the capital region should be reconsidered in light of the technology’s rapid development since the transport agreement was revised, and since it was first made. She said she was optimistic her proposal would pass and that the response had been positive.