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"You can't change people that much."

The point of licensing is to restrict the privilege to those who can responsibly and competently preform the task. If they can't conform to that, then they shouldn't be driving. Tougher licensing and enforcement would drastically reduce fatalities. We already see this in many European nations with stricter enforcement and licensing.

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In the US it is easier to invent autonomous vehicles than take away grandma's drivers license.

The trouble that many elderly face with smartphones leaves me a little skeptical that autonomous cars are really a solution to that specific problem.

The thing is in the US driving is essential to having any sort of life for the most part leaving tiny enclaves like NYC aside. And freedom is an important part of US ethos. Autonomous cars as long as they are better than humans would be accepted by a range of people especially by elderly etc because what they want is to get from point A to point B, not necessarily to drive.

Coincidentally, the more rural the area, the less dangerous a driver would be to others and the easier the practical test would be. It's most dangerous in the more populated areas because of the concentration of drivers, pads, and things makes it more likely they would hit something.

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