No more Jeremy Clarkson or Chris Evans ...

The WEpod is the first autonomous vehicle to take to public roads and, while I am not one to embrace technology, I am genuinely relieved.

I am relieved that, within the not-so-distant future, the roads will be rid of idiots because we will be driven everywhere by microchip.

The Dutch bus, which can carry up to six passengers, is blazing a trail and is being followed by the Google Car, a driverless vehicle which has already covered 1.4 million miles in its test phase, not to mention the giants of the motor industry.

Gone forever will be the morons who are incapable of turning into a side road without cutting across a good foot of the opposite carriageway, gone will be motorists flouting the mobile phone ban after downing four lunchtime pints and it should mean an end to road rage.

While I quite enjoy driving, it isn’t good for my health or that of the poor devils brave enough to strap themselves in next to me.

I have recently been without my mobile phone so have had enough time on my hands to calculate that, in 20 years on the road, I have covered roughly 400,000 miles and am ashamed to say that many of those miles have been covered while I have been on autopilot.

I know I am not the only one who drives while not fully paying attention, but am grateful I am lucky enough not to have been involved in a serious accident, as we take a chance every time we turn the key in the ignition. Driverless cars will cut out the recklessness of human beings which has surely got to be their main selling point?

I am convinced driverless technology will prevail and many of us will opt to be driven around by a very clever SatNav.

Of course there will be a hard core who will cling on to the past and cruise around in their vintage Ford Focuses. There is a long way to go before humans are forced to play second fiddle on our roads but, before any Petrolheads out there get too depressed about our science fiction future, such contraptions will almost put paid to Jeremy Clarkson and Chris Evans.

Every cloud…