Here’s a really interesting piece from The Economist about the pros and cons of car safety systems and, ultimately, the driverless car. Here’s where technology stands:

Indeed, last November’s “Urban Challenge”, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), proved that autonomous vehicles could mix in with live traffic in a typical urban environment, while executing complex manoeuvres like merging, overtaking, negotiating four-way intersections and parking.

This was the third such challenge DARPA has sponsored. This year’s first prize, worth $2m, went to a team from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, which completed the 60-mile obstacle course at an average of 14mph—about the same speed driven during rush hour in Los Angeles. Six of the 11 finalists (out of 89 original entrants) finished the course.

Sorry, but I prefer to be in control of the car myself.