You notice that, as the car in front turns the corner, the driver is flicking through a magazine. Rather than calling the Garda, you snooze on until you arrive home. Fiona Harvey reports.
The technology to allow cars to drive themselves has largely been developed. Plans for such systems, which combine a network of sensors with a complex on-board computer, have been shown off by several car makers.
Alas for sci-fi fans, they are unlikely to be on the road any time soon, as people still balk at the loss of control.
Few technical issues remain. One is that, for these systems to work, all cars and car owners might have to use the same technology. However, limited versions of the systems, which help drivers to park or to avoid collisions, are beginning to come on to the market.
Already, automatic cruise control can judge distance from other vehicles using a relatively primitive form of automation, and adjust the speed to take that into account, or return the car to the driver's control.
Adrian Garrod, a consultant engineer at Roke Manor Research in Britain, owned by Siemens, believes that the next advances to come on to the market will be pre-crash sensing.
Pre-crash sensing requires devices that can recognise when a collision has become unavoidable, and which can ready the car accordingly. This might involve warning the driver and passengers, preparing the air bag to inflate, and adjusting the suspension ahead of any collision. Such systems are already fitted to some of the top of the range Mercedes.
In Roke's view, the best technology for these sensors would be radar. The company's RadarNet programme has signed up several big car makers, including BMW, DaimlerChrysler and Volvo. A network of radar sensors would be positioned around the body of the car. As these sensors don't need any line of sight, they don't have to be outside the car's body, but can be hidden inside its trim. Though systems with limited capabilities, may be on the way, most experts believe that the prospect of cars driving themselves remains very remote. Dean Hopkins, director of marketing at Motorola, says that "pressing a button to go from A to B is not something we see drivers wanting to do in the near future".
One serious worry is that drivers may grow too reliant on automatic systems, making them vulnerable should the technology fail. But the main resistance seems to be purely psychological.
John Cheese, head of transport solutions at Detica, a British technology consultancy, points out: "These systems have great potential safety benefits. But they fundamentally alter the relationship between the driver and the car.
"For many, the whole pleasure of driving comes from exercising freedom of control and choice over speed, for example. Research suggests that older drivers are more receptive to having technology exercise some control of the car. Younger drivers might take more convincing."
- Financial Times