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< I never really understood the reason behind driverless cars

Really? It might sound crazy but I think people would just buy them because they are, you know, useful for getting places.

And will save perhaps 20,000 lives and many more serious injuries in the US alone every year.

Well, the cars that google are developing also (AFAIK) rely on an existing 3D map of the environment of similar detail to what they scan in.

Keep in mind that from a business perspective, the main use of these vehicles might be military. Think of them as drones in car form.

It's also a massively profitable industry. It would do for the car industry what android previously has done for them in mobile.

Android is loss making for Google, and has resulted in an industry with only two profitable players, both of whom view Google as a competitor.

I doubt that is the scenario that Google would like for the auto industry.

Nothing awesome can come without fear.