There are five recognised levels of driverless cars, ranging from the partially automated vehicles we have today to the fully automated cars we dream of owning in the future. Full automation of the driverless car will be achieved when it can operate autonomously in all driving modes and conditions.

My wife's car has several automated features that fit into levels 1 and 2 of the classification: vehicles with limited automated features that may assist the driver with speed or steering control. These features include adaptive cruise control, lane-keep-assist, blind-spot monitoring, and the list goes on.

As impressed as I am with the technology, the driving experience is not quite the same. I find myself fighting the steering wheel on freeway driving as it tries to keep the car within the lane. Of course, you can't tailgate other drivers anymore, as the adaptive cruise control keeps you well back from other vehicles. So where's the fun in that?

As a sports car nut, I love the joy of driving. For me, that is a car with a manual gearbox, a petrol engine, and the capacity to throw the car's tail around when I can. However, I think it will be a while before I adopt any driverless car as my mode of transport.