When one of these “automobiles” can outrun me on a road course or better, outrun a rally driver on a rally course in comparable cars I might be interested. What I’m talking about is car control. It is the indefinable sense of what the car will do in the next instant if I do this now, all without thinking about it. You are part of the car and the car is part of you, not an automaton operating a machine. The car becomes human in a sense.
For most people their car is an appliance like a refrigerator. They are operators not drivers and autonomous cars would suit them and undoubtably be safer. They could be all dynamically similar, go down the same road at the same speed and were regarded as transportation modules. They could all be identical for that matter, maybe different paint jobs. I’m not saying I wouldn’t be safer in one of these than driving myself but so what?
The trade off is worth it.
I’m in my 70’s so maybe all this is just a “Hey you kids, get off my lawn!” thing.
Well, I guess Google did made them human 6 years ago.
Can you run faster than 40 miles an hour?
And yes, currently faster speeds are reached nowadays on the freeway.
As for dirt roads, one should remember that the early DARPA competitions of the technology were set on several types of road including dirt roads, although they were not doing so at rally speeds, but Range Rover and others are already testing autonomous Jeeps to be used in all terrains.
Range Rover Self Driving Car Off Road World First Jaguar Auto Pilot Autonomous Car 2016