What is autonomous driving?

Autonomous driving is when an automated computerised system drives a car instead of a human. Already, many cars include aspects of this technology and can be described as 'semi-autonomous'. For example, cars with adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist can mostly drive themselves on motorways and faster roads, provided the driver keeps careful watch.

This crucial caveat is one of the reasons we're still many years – probably decades – away from fully autonomous vehicles that can drive themselves in all scenarios. Currently, all vehicles with semi-autonomous features require the driver to pay constant attention and be ready to take over at any moment. You've a long time to wait until you can buy a car that'll cart you back from an evening at the pub!