The first driverless vehicles I ever rode were all electric locomotives – Changi Airport Skytrain, Bukit Panjang LRT and the MRT system’s North East Line.
These driverless vehicles didn’t make me feel like a lesser driver, since I was just an occasional commuter on said modes of public transport.
Then, there was the advent of cruise control and assisted parking in the motoring industry. Both features made me feel like a lazier driver, who could (and usually would) manage any highway cruising in the car with my right foot and park the car myself.
But after taking rides in autonomous cars made by Nissan, Lexus and Audi, and tracking the impressive progress of Tesla, Ford and Google in autonomous driving technology, I feel like a lesser driver whose driving licence is in danger.
Not from suspension due to a sudden need for speed, but from underuse due to clever cars that can drive themselves from point to point and turn enthusiastic drivers into indifferent co-drivers. 
The companies producing, testing and popularising these autonomous cars, together with the relevant technology suppliers and open-minded government officials, will do their utmost to remove the driver from the driving equation.
Various traffic studies over the years have concluded that 90 to 99 percent of road accidents are caused by human error. Put another way, if those human “crash test dummies” weren’t allowed to drive in the first place, the driving errors that led to the crashes wouldn’t have occurred and the roads would be much safer for all other road users.
According to a 2015 survey conducted by Continental in the UK, three of the most frustrating habits of bad drivers are tailgating, not signalling, and using a smartphone on the move.
Self-driving cars would never tailgate, would always signal, and do not fiddle with distracting mobile devices.
They are safety-conscious “drivers”, with excellent situational awareness thanks to an array of cameras, radars and sensors, the computers to accurately crunch the 360-degree data, and the automated driving controls to react appropriately in every traffic situation.
The above-average human driver might be faster from point to point, but he’ll tend to take greater risks on the road and give other road users less space/respect/courtesy.
Self-driving cars can make commutes easier for people who are not qualified or interested to drive. They can make car-sharing and car-pooling more convenient. And they can maximise the road network like never before.
Eventually, self-driving cars can also supplant cabbies, chauffeurs and deliverymen.
Or maybe not, if there’s still a need for service with a smile (the car’s “grinning” grille doesn’t count), a personal touch (beyond the brush of skin against cabin upholstery) and friendly conversation (cannot chit-chat with a car). 
As for drivers who like to drive, being behind the wheel is central to a delightful driving experience. Revving the engine, shifting the gears, steering the vehicle, working the suspension, burning both fuel and rubber – these can only be enjoyed if you DIY (drive it yourself).
Letting the machine do the driving would be safer and simpler, but that’s like replacing an F1 ace with an android. Robots racing against one another in fully robotised racecars would make a mockery of motorsports.
Imagine cheering on cyborgs in the Olympic Games that can perform faster, higher, stronger than the best human athletes.
I’m no driving demigod, but I love driving and sport more petrol in my veins than any self-driving gadget on wheels. So, I’d like to do all my motoring myself, as far as possible.
Unless I’m on board a driverless LRT or MRT train, of course.
Read another car nut’s view of a driverless world.
Read about the bumps and humps to be overcome on a driverless road.
LTA, NTU and JTC have a centre for the testing of driverless cars.
