Many of my friends in auto-writer world insist that Americans will never cotton to self-driving or “autonomous” cars. My friends contend people won’t ever willingly cede control of their speeding automobiles to batteries of onboard computers and intrusive sensors while directing their attention elsewhere. Because, the argument goes, folks love driving too much. And because, you know, freedom.
I’m quite fond of driving myself, as you know. But I’m not certain autonomy won’t happen. Indeed, my own informal survey of American drivers has led me to conclude with a high degree of confidence that a large percentage of the driving population isn’t paying attention when driving already. And I believe an even larger subset of American motorists can’t wait to take their eyes off the road. Permanently. Because as much as folks might like hugging the curves and shifting the toggles and cogs for themselves, self-driving cars will enable humankind to concentrate on the important things in life.
