Level 5 doesn't mean the driver can't take over - just that they should never have to. The driver will always have the ability to take manual control; something that won't change within our lifetimes. Even if a company manages to legally release a "level 5" car in the next 50 years, it will really only be "level 4.5" - 100% automation under all conditions isn't in the cards for the very near future.

It astounds me how naive and over-optimistic we are seeing enthusiasts of self-driving cars behave. The industry is in its infancy, but people talk about it like our roads have been exclusively filled with them for decades, and all challenges and bugs have been conquered. Surely every person who talks about these cars like it's a solved domain can't all be prospecting, bandwagon investors.

So level 5 is supposed to magically stop people from barfing in the back seat, getting things accidentally wedged in door and trunk hinges, smearing dog poo on the carpets or scratching up seats with paws, opening car doors into traffic, or lighting up a massive doobie while riding?

Level 5 is a fantasy world as it is, let's not pretend it can do even more than is described.