Will Self-Driving Cars Spell the End of the American Road Trip?

These cars could also reorganize cities for the worse. If people could read or sleep or write emails in an autonomous car, they might feel fine about having longer commutes. And of course, your route data could be exploited by advertisers. Maybe Google knows you like Starbucks—will the car drive just a tad slower as you pass it? Or worse, route data could become a matter of national security. “Bad actors could take control of your car or a fleet of cars and you know, stop every car that’s on the Bay Bridge at one time for malicious intent,” says Costa Samaras, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and co-author of “Autonomous Vehicle Technology: A Guide for Policymakers.”