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The trials, held on automaker Volvo's test track in Sweden, electronically slaved a single car to a lead truck to test the platoon system, the BBC reported Wednesday.

The test was carried out as part of a European Commission research project known as Sartre, Safe Road Trains for the Environment.

Project researchers believe platoons of cars under the control of a lead driver could be traveling on Europe's roads within 10 years, cutting fuel use, increasing safety and even cutting congestion, the report said.

In the proposed system, drivers would join and leave vehicle platoons via in-car controls.

Once the lead vehicle is in charge, drivers could take their hands off the wheel, read a newspaper and sip coffee as the journey proceeds while commands to steer, speed up and slow down would all come from the driver of the lead vehicle.

Cars would use sensors to keep track of their position relative to other vehicles in a platoon to ensure a safe distance between them.

Although the technology behind the Sartre system could be in use in a few years, it will likely take much longer for European member nations to pass laws to allow it to be widely used, researchers admit.

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