One of the biggest challenges is that it will be years -- actually DECADES -- before every vehicle on the road is fully autonomous. In the meantime, we'll exist in this limbo-like transitional phase where people will either rely on the technology too much (they'll lose their driving skills even though the cars aren't fully autonomous) or too little (they won't even bother paying a premium for these automated features).
Indeed. What bugs me the most is that we're all involuntary and unknowing participants in their testing, perhaps for decades.
When a new version of Windows comes out, I can sit back and laugh at the problems of forced upgrades, new spyware, compatibility problems, etc., because I don't have to upgrade right away. I can wait until the worst of the bugs are worked out.
But now we're in a position where this lady was a few minutes before her death. Is some driverless car driving toward me now? Will it have the "brains" to not run me over? If these ever go national, we're all part of the testing process every time we're on the street for a decade, maybe two.
I have a new Mercedes with all the goodies. Lane assist, brake assist, blind spot warning, cameras all around the car. Some of it I use....but only as a confirmation of what I already see. I still turn my head to look when backing out and to see if there’s any cars before switching lanes.