Driverless cars will prevent 95% of all traffic collisions say experts

But experts say the technology won't be perfected until 2050

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Driverless cars engender some strongly held opinions but experts say there is one thing beyond argument - we don't have much choice in the matter, they're coming.

However, we could be waiting some time: all UK cars predicted to be 'highly autonomous' by 2040, but the nation's vehicles won't be fully driverless until 10 years later.

And when this does happen in 34 years time, 95 per cent of today's traffic collisions won't take place, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers has suggested.

IMechE said fully autonomous cars are further away than many people may have expected as part of its latest driverless vehicle report released on Thursday.

While testing is well underway in the US, Tesla has already launched a part-autonomous system and the UK Government has a dedicated fund to speed-up the development of driverless vehicles, the institute said there will be no 'Big Bang' for the technology, rather a process of increasing levels of automation over a number of years.

But in order for this to take place, IMechE warned there are societal questions that need to be addressed so that driverless cars are accepted by the public and legally able to travel on UK roads.