Where are my self-driving cars? An Idea Whose Time Has Come

I think we could really get automated road systems working if the auto makers were interested. But why would they invest in technology and work with the government on it when it would demolish their profits?

Fewer people will need cars: one of the most annoying things about car-sharing services right now is that you can't go from A > B, you have to go back to A or continue to rack up charges. If cars drive themselves, services will spring up to leverage self-driven cars. Suddenly it will be just as convenient as driving, if not more convenient. Fewer cars will be made, sold, and used. Fewer accidents with totaled cars will also mean fewer new cars sold.

There is no reason to believe that every car on the road will simultaneously be automated when it is much more likely that the transition will be gradual.

Relying on computer networks built on mesh technology, or using transponders embedded in the environment limits the reach and universal nature of the vehicle. These technologies should be augmentations of a Google car like scanning system, though hopefully using a scaled up commercial technology to reduce the cost of the scanners. Existing cars with land departure do so without requiring that every lane on every road have a radio transmitter.