KPMG has issued a warning that driverless cars could fall victim to attacks by hackers, which it terms 'spam jams'.

The announcement follows news that Google is to invest in the manufacture of its own driverless vehicles. 

Wil Rockall, director in KPMG's cyber security team, said that while there would be safety improvements as a result of the driverless vehicles, 'spam jams' and other malicious attacks could affect drivers' experiences.

"Self-drive cars will probably work through internet connectivity and … the opportunity for self-drive traffic being routed to create ‘spam jams’ or disruption is a very real prospect," he commented.

He said the automotive industry takes security very seriously and safeguards could probably be built in to prevent such attacks from occurring.

Mr Rockall nevertheless views the rise of driverless cars as unstoppable as driving will become more efficient, leading to tangible environmental and economic benefits.