I think the point is the car has to be able to drive completely independently if we are to allow cars to travel without anybody inside at all, which includes handling emergency situations. And of course as some others have pointed out the people inside may be old, handicapped, children etc - expecting them to take control may make things worse.

As far as front seats are concerned, why even have a front seat? Have people sit in a circle facing each other, with a table in the middle - so you can have a conversation. Not having a wheel allows us to reimagine the interiors of cars which are currently built around the driver.