I had an almost 3 hour drive today and my car did most of the driving for me. The cruise control has lane assist, helping the car stay in its lane. The same cruise control is adaptive, staying behind the car in front of me at a safe distance and maintaining the speed of that car as long as it does not exceed the maximum speed I set it to. So, I listened to my audiobook, foot rested off the pedals, near the break, and hands gently on the steering wheel.

I like it. I like it a lot. I used to hate the dance of putting the car in and out of cruise control depending on the traffic in front of me. Now the car does that thinking for me. I know there are people who love to drive, and who will miss the feeling when cars inevitably start to drive themselves. I won’t miss it.

I’m ready for a fully automated cruise control to take me from driveway to parking lot, and safely home again. I look forward to the opportunity to do more with my driving time than just listen to a book or a podcast.

Also think of how much smoother traffic will be. Cars will communicate with all the other cars around it, lane changes will be totally safe, cars can accelerate from a traffic light significantly faster, and reaction times for unexpected incidents will be faster than humanly possible.

Bring on the driverless car, make it mandatory on large swaths of roadway. I’m ready for it.