Nobody is talking about taking away the ability to drive. We talking about adding a feature where you don’t have to drive if you don’t want to. Most of driving is boring, even in a sexy fun car like a Miata the daily commute for most involves a lot of hanging around at stop lights and not getting up over 40MPH. About the only way that gets exciting is if your car is such a maintenance mess it might not actually make the distance, and that’s more tense than exciting.
Think about it like GPS, most cars have GPS now, but you don’t have to use it. I almost never do, I know where I’m going, don’t need the car reminding me how to get to work. You could have a self driving car and still drive yourself, nobody is talking about removing the controls, or even don’t get a self driving car. Much like how the stick shift refuses to die I’m sure the driven car will have its dedicated following. It’s a feature, you’ll be able to get cars without it, and not use it in cars that do. The only folks talking about this technology being forced on people are the ones against it, everybody for it understands it as an option.
Initially its purchase and use will be voluntary, but then it will be required in all new cars but with voluntary use. Then it will become mandatory in some places (for the children) and so it goes. The mandated items on cars need to be reduced not increased.
Regarding GPS, why do I even have to buy it with a car if I don’t want it.