I’m a massive fan of the advancements which are being made regarding autonomous driving. Everybody’s getting involved in the race. We’ve seen and heard about Google’s developments, and most manufacturers are showing off their wares. The industry is moving incredibly fast in terms of technology, and by the time even the quickest journalists learn of advancements the manufacturer is already working a few steps ahead.

One of the big questions I have about the whole autonomous driving thing is; are we ready? I work with motors every day, and between researching and writing it is hard not to pick up on people’s reactions to the idea that cars will soon be capable of driving themselves. The driver-less car is very real and it’s getting closer to Ireland -especially when you consider that the UK Department of Transport announced earlier this month that they will allow for the testing of autonomous vehicles in Milton Keynes, Greenwich, Bristol and Coventry.

Like the introduction of the internet, I often hear commentators alluding to autonomous technology in a “sure it’ll never take off” kind of way. It will folks, and it’s very close. In fact, we’re already utilising forms of it in the new cars that we buy. For example let’s look at cruise control, which involves the car controlling its own acceleration to maintain a speed set by a driver - this is nothing new. Now add the word “adaptive” to “cruise control” and things get that little bit more autonomous. Adaptive Cruise Control has been around for a while and as recently as today I’ve test driven vehicles that use it. Adaptive Cruise Control acts just like cruise control but by using sensors, cameras and more. The vehicle senses traffic around you and keeps you at a safe distance from the car in front without the driver having to apply extra brakes or acceleration.

Now add Lane Departure technologies into the mix and all of a sudden you have a car that accelerates and brakes when it needs to, and a steering wheel that corrects itself if it feels you’re going off-lane. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean you can get into a car and completely let go of the steering wheel, or even take your mind off acceleration - but it does show how real autonomous driving is. If you want to see a car taking full control of the steering wheel have a look at some of the self-park technologies that are now available – search the words “self-park” in YouTube and you’ll see what I’m talking about. If I’m being honest I don’t have full trust in the self-park stuff yet. Isn’t it strange that I have massive faith in letting adaptive cruise control drive me on a motorway at 120km/h, but lower that speed to 5km/h to allow the car to park beside a brand new S-Class Mercedes-Benz and I don’t feel so comfortable?

Autonomous driving is with us already. For example, “City Safety” technology automatically brakes your car at low speeds if it senses a collision in its path. This has been on the market for years, and it’s even coming as standard with some cars. People who are sceptical about autonomous driving, and are worried that it’ll never be as safe as complete driver-controlled cars, need to realise that this technology can actually make these machines safer.

So how close are we?

We’re very close, but it all depends on legislators and educational campaigns from manufacturers. A trust needs to be built with the concept and with the cars, which will be difficult but not impossible - how often has the plane you’ve travelled in been flown by auto-pilot?

We know we’re getting closer on account of certain areas like in Nevada, in Gothenburg and now certain parts of the UK, changing legislation for the testing of these vehicles.

Volvo, as part of its Drive Me project, is preparing to get 100 cars on roads around Gothenburg for 2017. They have collaborated over the last few years with legislators and transport authorities to ensure that selected roads are eligible for these test cars. But it’s not just Volvo who are making these advances, most manufacturers are at the testing stage and even further along. One of the most notable pieces I’ve read in the last few months comes from Audi on their RS7 piloted driving concept. This is autonomous driving in a track capacity and the results are pretty astounding (see video below).

This technology is amazing and it’s something I will always keep my eyes, and mind, open to. What are your thoughts? Will our government legislate for it? Will Ireland become an early adaptor of it? Will any of us be able to afford it? Do you believe it to be irresponsible to trust technology like this?