I’m sat in the back and the driver has both hands off the steering wheel.
We’re doing around 30mph as the traffic light turns amber, and then it suddenly happens: the woman steps out into the road.
Pulse racing, my knuckles turn white as I grab the side handle.
Then, nothing. Or least no screeching of brakes, no near-miss - despite the driver not touching the pedal.
How? Because I’m in the result of a £10.7million project to help bring self-driving cars to Britain’s roads.
In few years time many us could be travelling on them, whether in “robotaxis” or cars of our own.
The Daily Mirror took a ride in a hi-tech autonomous car on the busy streets of Woolwich, South East London.
The technology, say its backers, could slash the number of road accidents, reduce pollution, and enable people to get about more easily.
Plus, driving is stressful enough nowadays, what with the amount of traffic on the roads, kids distracting you, speed cameras and the like.
Autonomous technology, it is claimed, could tackle that.
But would you hand over complete control to a computer?
It might seem like the stuff of TV’s Tomorrow World, but experts say we already have semi-autonomous cars, whether the option to keep vehicles in a lane or park themselves.
But the gadget-packed Nissan Leaf the Mirror went in was the next step: a car able to do a whole host of manoeuvres on its own.
The Government said last summer that self-driving vehicles could be rolled out by 2025, estimating the technology could create 38,000 new jobs from a £42billion industry.
What it didn’t say is how many jobs could be lost if - in time - human lorry, van and taxi drivers become surplus to requirements.
Self-driving technology is being tested around the world.
Only this week, online giant Amazon began trialling a fleet of robotaxis - without a steering wheel or pedals - on public roads in California.
Bob Bateman is based at Nissan’s technical centre at Cranfield, Bedfordshire, and the company’s project manager on the ServCity project, a consortium of private companies and public bodies.
Two years ago, Nissan completed the UK’s longest autonomous car journey when a modfied Leaf drove itself - though with humans on board - the 230 miles from Cranfield to the firm’s Sunderland plant.
Bob explained: “Over 90% of road accidents are caused by a driver.
“This system is 100% of the time, 360 degrees looking around itself.
“It is therefore a lot quicker at responding.”
Smooth accelerating and braking means the car is more fuel efficient.
The third billed benefit is “inclusivity”, making it easier for the elderly - including those whose driving licence has been withdraw - and the disabled to get around.
“It gives them that independence,” said Bob.
Nissan and others working on the government-backed project gave media access as the current phase of the project draws to a close, during which time its self-driving cars have clocked-up 1,600 miles.
Bob said on “very rare occasions” the human driver had been forced to step and grab the steering wheel, but declined to go into detail.
Convincing regulators the technology is safe for road users and pedestrians is critical.
The ServCity team picked inner-city Woolwich to throw everything at the system, from hectic traffic to jaywalkers and e-scooters.
So what did it feel like navigating all that with a computer in charge?
The slight heart-the-month moment with the over-eager pedestrian aside, it was surprisingly easy to get used to.
That said, human driver Tom’s hand hovering over the steering wheel - just in case - was reassuring.
The one thing that struck me was how super smooth, controlled, polite even, the self-driving car was.
A taxi suddenly pulls into out our lane? No beeping or headlight flashing from us.
A car doesn’t indicate when it should? No problem.
In short, it could be the answer to the scourge of road rage.
Then again, the chilled out system was sometimes so courteous you wonder whether it will just leave other drivers fuming.
