If you have been following current trends in automobile technology, you will know that after electric cars, autonomous or self-driving cars are the next big thing in automobile manufacturing. Autonomous or self-driving cars are simply cars that drive themselves. With self-driving, autonomous, or driverless cars, there is no need for someone to sit behind the steering wheel. You simply input your destination in the car's GPS, sit back, and allow the car take you to your destination.

Though you may not necessarily see self-driving cars on every highway, a number of these futuristic vehicles have been manufactured, tested, and are currently in use for special projects. That said, it is important to point out that a fully autonomous car has not yet been produced. There are six levels of car autonomy, from level zero to level six, and level four, which is currently the highest level of automation, (where a human driver is not needed but can intervene where needed), is currently being tested by Waymo Limited, formerly Google Self Driving Project.

Self-driving cars provide a seamless road experience on most roads and highways, especially where there is little or no traffic, however, these cars don't do well on wet, slick, or muddy roads. If you happen to have an autonomous car and will be driving through such a terrain, you may want to handle the steering by yourself.

While it is true that autonomous cars are highly advanced, and account for some of the most innovative designs to come out of the automobile industry, they still require regular maintenance like every other car.

This is how to prepare your level one to three autonomous vehicles for wet roads

Regular maintenance: Like every other car, your autonomous car requires regular maintenance. This is the only way to guarantee optimum performance and efficiency at all times.

Some of the common maintenance activities to carry out on your autonomous car include checking, topping off, and replacing all the fluids including engine oil, brake and transmission fluids, and coolants.

You should also take a good look at the brakes of your car. When you drive with worn-out brakes, you put yourself at risk, especially when you drive on wet and slippery roads. In fact, it is a good idea to stick to the maintenance schedule prepared by your car manufacturer, making sure you are always at the service centre when the regular service date is due. It may look like a waste of money visiting the service centre every month, but constant maintenance means your car will last longer, and work better.

Check your tires: When preparing for the rain or snow, your tires demand complete attention. In fact, during the rains or snow, you should never use your car without checking to see that the tires are okay. The last thing you want to do is to drive with bad tires on a wet road.

Experts also recommend switching to snow tires during the winter. These are specially designed tires made from strong rubber compounds with deep threads for gripping snow and slippery roads. Alternatively, you can have chains fixed around your tires to give them that extra grip.

When you have strong winter tires on your car, combined with the advanced safety features of an autonomous car, you will have nothing to worry about.

Top up the antifreeze: One of the most important things you can do to prepare your autonomous car for the winter is to check and top up your car's coolant system.

The ideal engine coolant should be 50% water and 50% antifreeze, unfortunately, most people keep on topping up the water all through the year, that in no time, the antifreeze is completely diluted. This can lead to a myriad of issues including overheating, resulting in expensive repair bills.

To avoid damage to your car engine, ensure that your engine cooling system contains the approved water to coolant ratio. You should also check your radiator or cooling system for cracks, bulges and leaks.

Prepare your windscreen and wipers: It is a very risky driving in the rain or snow with a clogged windscreen or broken windscreen wipers. This will cause terrible visibility that can result in an accident. Wiper blades are cheap to buy, so if you discover that the ones on your car are no longer good, you should replace them immediately.

You should also consider keeping a snow scraper in the boot of your car. This way, you can quickly scrap excess snow off your front and back windscreen while waiting for the defroster to kick in.