One day in the not too distant future, self-driving share cars will be ferrying commuters around our streets if Australian researchers succeed in their quest to better understand our driving quirks.

Separate to efforts by Google, Toyota and Audi to create self-driving vehicles, researchers at the University of NSW are working with Australian car-sharing company GoGet to develop an advanced autonomous driving algorithm that could see a new breed of self-driving cars land on Australian shores within 10 years.

Another piece of equipment ounted to the back of the car.

Their experimental car has four radar sensors, a video camera and a small on-board computer. It can't drive itself just yet, but it is the first step in achieving autonomous driving. The car will gather data the researchers say will make cars more efficient and less prone to accidents, ultimately saving lives.

"We've put sensors all around the vehicle and mounted a video camera to detect pedestrians, bicycles, other cars and roadside infrastructure," said deputy director of UNSW's Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation, Vinayak Dixit.