Driverless cars at a glance

MECHANICS OF SELF-DRIVING CARS:

HOW THEY WORK

* Cameras, sensors and radar see the road and other cars, and GPS systems are used for navigation

* Programmed car uses this information to autonomously steer, accelerate, brake, navigate

* Driverless cars "talk" to each other and to tech-enabled road infrastructure

BENEFITS

* Potentially save lives by removing human error, which causes 90 per cent of road accidents

* Increase leisure time by freeing driver

* Reduce congestion with cars closer together

* Lower freight costs as trucks no longer need drivers

WHAT'S NEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD

* Tech-enabled roads and road infrastructure

* Laws to allow self-driving cars and to deal with insurance and ethical issues

COMPANIES IN FAST LANE

* Google - Tech giant with driverless prototypes in use at US headquarters

* Tesla Motors - US electric auto specialist rolling out cars with self-driving features

* Volvo - Swedish maker conducting driverless car tests in Australia