Although plenty of ink has been spilled on the subject of the future self-driving automobile, we do not hear quite so much about what such vehicles will look like, what benefits they will bring, the challenges this new approach to road transport will throw up and the details of the necessary transition. It is clear that the switchover to 100% autonomous vehicles will not take place overnight. We will probably have to go through various stages during which cars will become ever more automated and intelligent, but will still require the presence of a human driver at the controls.