Self-driving cars have appeared in movies since the 1980s, but the science-fiction dream is now coming true. Cars are being developed that use electronic maps to find their way, and a system called LiDAR to stop them from bumping into things. And there is not only one type of self-driving car: they are graded from Level 1 to Level 5, with Level 0 being the traditional kind of car that requires the full control of a human driver. At Level 5, humans do nothing at all. But at other levels, control is shared between car and driver to varying degrees.

Global opinion on these cars is divided, as the chart on the next page indicates. Those in favor point out that the cars are environmentally friendly because they have no need to continually brake and accelerate, which burns a lot of fuel. They are also safer than traditional vehicles. Moreover, there will be fewer traffic jams because the new cars automatically calculate the most efficient route.

However, critics of the new cars worry that too many driving jobs will be lost. They also express concerns about the technology's security, suggesting that hackers could attack the system, and about the system's ability to make judgements in emergencies. For example, if a dog runs into the road, how does the car choose the best response? Only time will tell if self-driving cars are truly a dream—or a nightmare.

自動駕駛汽車自1980年代就出現於電影，但科幻美夢現已成真。汽車已被研發為運用電子地 圖來導航方向，還有LiDAR光學雷達感測系統能避免汽車撞到東西。而且自動駕駛汽車不是只有一種：還分為等級1到等級5，而等級0就是需要完全靠人類司機控制的傳統汽車。在等級5的汽車上，人類什麼事都不用做。但在其他等級的汽車上，汽車和司機之間必須分配程度不等的操控工作。

然而，批評這類新式汽車的人擔憂，會有過多司機職務就此流失。他們亦強調科技安全的 疑慮，意指駭客可能會攻擊系統，還有擔憂系統判斷緊急情況的能力。例如如果有狗跑到 路上，此類汽車該怎麼選擇最佳應對方法？時間會說明一切，屆時我們就會知道自動駕駛汽 車到底是美夢─抑或夢魘。

如下頁圖表所示，全球對此類汽車的意見分歧。贊成此類汽車的人指出，由於不需持續煞車 與加速而燃燒大量汽油，因此對環境友善，而且比傳統交通工具更安全。再者，由於新式汽車會自動計算最具效益的路線，也會減少交通堵塞的問題。