Cars are used to transport people from A to B. So why build complex and expensive software and hardware to drive the car when a complex and expensive piece of human hardware gets in the car anyway? Where is the benefit?
Some people will mutter about road accidents. Thats a case that has to be proven but in some areas it obviously wont work any better. Black ice, idiot cyclists, drunken pedestrians, tyre blowouts etc. But nevertheless there might be some gain in fatalities. But thats a gain that could be achieved by adopting the technologies from F1 anyway - how long since drivers were killed in F1?
Plus autonomous cars will no doubt stick to the speed limits. Literally. Ever single meter of road. That will slow traffic and that in turn will have an economic costs which to some degree will filter through to deaths and injuries. A less vibrant economy can only support a less capable health service for example.
Computers cant use judgement. They can only use rules
I cant help but feel that the driverless car is a PC bandwagon rather than something that will prove useful and real. A bit like the paperless office or supersonic flight or twitter.
