Self-driving cars – regarded by many Australians as a form of "science fiction" – will be commercially available within five years and could eventually become so advanced that humans are regarded as "drunk robots" who are banned from driving, a federal parliamentary inquiry has heard.

In a submission to the inquiry, the mayors of Australia's capital cities say they expect autonomous cars to become commonplace between 2020 and 2025 and be safely moving in traffic with traditional cars.

The mayors say the shift to autonomous cars could require a "complete reimagining" of the long-term infrastructure needs of cities, reduce the need for inner-city car parks and encourage people to live further away from work.

Many submissions said they expected the growth of self-driving cars to dramatically reduce the number of people who die on the roads given most accidents are caused by human error.