Except it's not. Every lane change in semi-dense and dense traffic is a possible collision; I'd say if you have a car moving in the same direction as you are, and it's closer than ~50 feet, then it's a non-negligible possibility, other than that you just have nobody to collide with during lane change . We're talking highway speeds, of course, not racetrack

Can autopilot even change lanes? It seems like that would be impossible to code for freeways in cities in California. You have to muscle your way into the lane and force people to back down or get hit or else they aren't ever letting you in.

If all lanes are full, in practice you don't need to, and shouldn't, evacuate the right lane. If there's space for you to change lanes safely, then do so.

> I wonder if that was taken into account.

It was, but as the moral accounting stands, it is better for ten 'civilians' to be hurt, than for one police officer.

Considering how far away flashing lights can be sensed (in both humans and cars), that shouldn't be a problem.

Yes, that's why slowing down is the other action you can take.