A team of automotive industry experts has found that the advent of self-driving cars will make driving tests redundant by the year 2043.

The panel of industry experts and car manufacturers was assembled by HPI, who found that automated vehicles are closer to reality than we might think and the technology is getting more and more sophisticated. The panel suggested that as well as driving tests being defunct, the steering wheel could also disappear over the next 20 years, with an intelligent network of vehicles avoiding collisions due to fully-connected AI. Another element which could disappear would be the option of purchasing a car, with subscription services being the main option for those to have a vehicle - though we at CarSupermarket.com are confident that the joy of owning a vehicle will continue for a few more generations yet.

Ultimately the car will become a pod in which people travel to and from their destinations,” said Matt Freeman, an analyst on the panel. “They will be able to do other things such as work online, have conversations, play games or even sleep while in transit so the need for road awareness, directions and understanding road signs and signals will be redundant.”

He added: “Consumer resistance to the driverless car should not be underestimated – there are still those who steer clear of satellite navigation. However, for the majority of drivers, driving is a chore, and the banality of modern commuting will push an increasing number of people to explore the technology.”

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