CNBC: 'I hate them': Locals reportedly frustrated with Alphabet's self-driving cars

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1. It's almost like driving is a complicated task

Programming a vehicle so that it stops to avoid collisions has the unintended effect of making it stop for nothing in particular. Programming it so that it ignores a leaf blowing across the road it might run over a family pet that a human driver would stop for.

There's a very busy intersection not far from where I live. Two boulevards, each two lanes in both directions and a median lane. Traffic for the stoplight is nearly always backed up for blocks. The intersection is dominated by small businesses in strip malls, with motorists going in and out of the parking lots. Some folks coming out are just going to turn right into the nearest lane. Others will want to cross three lanes and turn left. Some drivers are willing to wait for an opening or for someone to let them in. Others are more aggressive, pushing into the line whether the other driver wants to let them or not.

For experienced drivers, the chaos around that intersection can be managed. A self-driving car? I'm not so optimistic. So many interactions and conflicts depend on drivers making eye contact, unspoken negotiations and agreements, or just plain courtesy. How do you program for that? And if your self-driving car requires sudden human intervention without warning, why not just let the human take the wheel? We're a long ways away from truly autonomous vehicles.