Bernard O'Shea: I'm driving less to be eco-friendly, but I love being in my car

Bernard O'Shea: Self-driving cars are here. It's not science fiction anymore. Like it or lump it, it's a scientific fact.

There are two types of people in the world—those who like going for a drive and those that don't. I've always enjoyed being in a car and having no destination in mind. Just aimlessly staring out the window, looking at oddities in fields, or looking at random houses and thinking about the occupants, their lives and dramas. If I won the lottery, I would drive around the world. I'm constantly putting into Google Maps the longest distance you could go continually.

According to Brian Cohen's website The Gate, "The longest continuous, direct driving route in the world is 8,726 miles or 14,043 kilometres — from Sagres in Portugal to Khasan in Russia — consuming approximately six days and 19 hours". If I were to do this, I wouldn't get out of the car too often. For instance, I'd get out to paddle in the Atlantic Ocean before I left and maybe dip my toe in the Sea of Japan when I'm finished. I like moving in my tin cocoon, protected from the cold.

My wife cannot understand my obsession with going for drives. She has to know why, where, and when we are going. The kids are the same. In fact, my kids treat the car with suspicion. Our kids were and are mainly driven everywhere. So they see the car as a utility, nothing more. Going for a Sunday drive for them is the equivalent of a punishment.

When I was going up, we rarely went anywhere, so to go for a drive was exciting, dare I say, an adventure. However, the most significant caveat that has driven a dent into my automotive excursions is the dent it puts into the environment.

Over the last year, I've been recycling more, washing my clothes less, and putting on a jumper if I'm cold instead of whacking on the heating. All to do my tiny bit to reduce the carbon footprint. I can't justify a long aimless drive anymore for environmental -  and with fuel prices - financial reasons. I've thought about buying an electric car, but that still consumes energy. However, there is an emotional issue at stake for people who love driving. Shortly, we won't be the ones driving at all.

Self-driving cars are here. It's not science fiction anymore. Like it or lump it, it's a scientific fact. Some of the more well-known ones are Mercedes-Benz Distronic Plus with Steering Assist, Google Waymo, and Tesla's Autopilot. It's more likely that human trust and insurance/government regulation issues will be more challenging to overcome than reliable technology. But by all accounts (nearly every automotive expert on the internet), full level self-driving will be gradually here in the next 10 to 15 years.

The benefits of self-driving cars are enormous. With more manufacturers developing more inclusive designs, it can revolutionize transport for drivers with disabilities. It's also expected road accidents will drop significantly, and traffic delays will decrease. Google Waymo experiments lead the way to full autonomy to deliver goods and services and taxis. But here's the thing; what if you're like me and like it but also lump it?

I like chatting with the delivery driver. I like ferrying my kids to activities and finding out about their day. Still, moreover, I love driving cars, and I think most people do too, except being stuck in traffic, of course. We have seen during lockdown people have used them as a "chill out" spare room. Radio Stations are still thriving in the digital age. A large part of that is because we listen to the radio in our cars. Another human talking to us on our journey.

Even my wife, who says she doesn't like driving, told me recently she loves listening to her audiobook when the kids aren't in the car. She finds it meditative. Both of us can't listen to the Trolls 2 soundtrack anymore (even though it's brilliant).

I think of all the beautiful and bizarre cultural phenomenon that we would be missing out on, like reversing around a corner on your driving test or waving etiquette. In this country, it's almost a law that you have to give a wave of acknowledgement if someone lets you out. Down the country, even if you don't know someone, you wave to them. We used to be so embarrassed when our father used to do this. When we would protest, his reply was always the same. "Sure doesn't the Pope waves to everyone."

So I ask the question, how many of us actually find it a chore? Take a dishwasher. I hate doing the dishes, and the dishwasher takes some of the pain out of it. However, I don't particularly appreciate unloading it. When I give out about having to clean the filter on the washing machine (for some reason, it consistently traps 20c pieces, hair bands, and a weird blue and grey slimy sludge). I'm reminded of my mother recounting washing the clothes by hand used to take an entire day. So are we being convinced that we don't like driving?

The answer seems to lie in compromise. We will definitely, in our lifetime, look across the lane on the motorway and see no one driving a car beside us. But there will be the likes of myself that will enjoy being in charge, and I'm looking forward to it just as long as we attach a little hand to the steering wheel that's programmed to wave at me when I let it out into traffic.