Autonomous vehicles and RVing in the future

bobkatmsu wrote:
As mentioned before, I think that there will be some very practical applications for the elderly and handicapped. My concern is that the government will decide for us that this is the way to go. 30 years ago people did not think that the government would try to control gas mileage. Some suggested that there would be rioting in the streets if laws were made controlling the types of cars we drive, but CAFE standards have been around since 1975 and get more restrictive every year. If a group of politicians think they are smarter than everyone else, they may try to take the decision away from us altogether.

This is true to a point. But Good old fashioned American ingenuity usually prevails to retain our love affair with cars. Better exhaust, better chips, performance parts etc. The performance aftermarket for cars is a massive business - as are shops that specialize in this. So despite regulations, we have still figured out a way to keep the passion alive. Of course I guess someone one day will put a blown 350 in an autonomous vehicle for sheer spite. I still see all kinds of flavors of Model A's and the like, from restored, to rat, to trailer queen hot rods. First production car ever built still getting action. Government reach can only go so far. Killing the aftermarket and performance car biz would be a large negative impact to the economy.