GM has predicted that driverless cars will be on the road by 2018. All I can say is, finally!

GM has reportedly been throwing a lot of resources at developing new technology that will finally let us enjoy those long trips across the country.

"This is not science fiction," Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development, said in a recent interview.

He says that most of the technology to pull this off already exists. These include radar-based cruise control, motion sensors, lane-change warning devices, electronic stability control and satellite-based digital mapping. Burns plans on test driving driverless cars by 2015 and have cars on the road by 2018.

To set some minds at ease, experts say that this new technology could actually reduce the risk of accidents.

Sebastian Thrun, co-leader of the Stanford University team that finished second among six teams completing a 60-mile Pentagon-sponsored race of driverless cars in November, says, "We might be able to cut those numbers down by a factor of 50 percent," Thrun said. "Just imagine all the funerals that won't take place."

The only issue GM sees is how people will respond to this new technology. Some may be weary about allowing a computer to drive their car for the, but Burn insists that drivers will be able to select whether they or the computer controls the car.

This new technology could do warn you about road conditions, help the flow of traffic jams and warn you about car wrecks ahead of you.

"Where it shakes out remains to be seen but there is no question we see a lot of potential there," said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.