I was thinking that maybe "automated vehicle lanes" could replace diamond lanes on freeways. Basically you'd pull into some sort of staging area where your car would communicate with the traffic control system. It would have to pass a series of self tests and maybe have a recent systems certification on file. You'd enter your destination and the car would get you as close as it could via the automated lanes. It pulls off into another staging area. From there you'd take over, - assuming you're awake.

That way there's no worry about pedestrians, pets, or cyclists or whatever unexpectedly entering the roadway. There's no intersections to deal with. The only other vehicles in those lanes are also automated.

Another potentially useful place for automated vehicles is a busy parking ramp. Imagine how much quicker it would be to get out of a ramp after a concert or some other event if the cars were all automated. So I do think there's use for the technology but I think my commuting days will long be over before fully automated personal vehicles are the norm.