Not long ago, self-driving cars were something out of science fiction. Today, they weave through the same Bay Area streets as the rest of us. The technology is racing ahead faster than public comfort, and that gap has left many drivers uneasy about sharing the road with machines that don’t blink.
The idea has its boosters. Some argue that when computers take over, there will be fewer fender‑benders and folks who can’t drive will get around more easily. In a nearby senior community, two little electric shuttles have been circling the same short loop for months. On these runs, neighbors climb aboard to pick up a few groceries
or head to the clinic. There’s always a staffer riding along to lend a hand with shopping bags and calm nerves. One man beamed, comparing it to being inside one of the sci‑fi novels he loved as a kid. Another rider laughed and said it was boring, in the best possible way. For people who find driving stressful, that predictability is a relief.
Still, not everyone shares that optimism. Car enthusiasts, for instance, often view autonomous technology as something that dulls the emotional and personal connection between the driver and the machine.
“[There are] glaring issues with the technology, reliability, and safety,” said junior Kyle Huynh, the founder of Monte Vista’s car club. “If you’re an enthusiast, it completely takes away the thrill and control you get from driving.” Still, he admitted that many in the club are cautiously optimistic about where the tech might go next.
Ask any Bay Area driver about our roads, and you’ll hear about the maze of orange cones, cyclists weaving through lanes, and hills that test your engine. Those same quirks confuse computers, too. The industry still reflects back on a 2018 test in Arizona, where an Uber SUV failed to see a woman walking her bike across a dark road and struck her. She died, and Uber shut down testing for months while it reworked its system. The tragedy reminded everyone that early robot drivers sometimes miss things, and that the human “safety” drivers tasked with watching over them can miss things as well.
Even among Tesla owners, opinions vary widely.
“I never use it [because] humans are better than AI… it almost crashed into another car once,” said senior Rylan Song, a longtime car enthusiast with strong feelings about the limits of Full Self-Driving. For Song, giving up control behind the wheel just doesn’t sit right.
“I have better reaction time,” Song said. “I pay attention to my surroundings more than the cameras ever could.” His perspective reflects a broader hesitation among drivers who trust their instincts over sensors and code.
While some students share Song’s skepticism, others are more curious than critical. A few said they rarely use self-driving features but admit the progress is impressive. The systems can handle things like parking and lane changes, though unexpected steering glitches still make them nervous. Several students believe that, with time, autonomous cars might eventually prove safer than humans, but not until they can handle the chaos of real-world driving as smoothly as people do.
To keep tests off city streets, the county fenced off part of an old Navy base near Concord. On that closed course, engineers weave driverless cars around curves, let them pick up speed on long straightaways, and even send them through dark tunnels to see how the sensors cope when the going gets tough. They do this behind fences because they know a practice track is nothing like your morning commute. Plenty of neighbors still feel uneasy about the idea of experimental cars mixing with their minivans.
Beyond safety, livelihoods are also at stake. Tens of thousands of delivery drivers, bus operators, and long‑haul truckers earn their paychecks on the I‑680 corridor and the side streets around it. Union leaders warn that driverless trucks and shuttles could sideline many of those workers. Greg Regan of the AFL-CIO told Congress that operators
should stay in the cab. Peter Finn of the Teamsters argued that California’s proposed rule requiring humans in heavy autonomous trucks is critical to protecting jobs and public safety. Another Teamsters official, Chris Griswold, has accused firms like Waymo and Aurora of chasing profits at workers’ expense. Those comments capture a broader fear among drivers that efficiency for the companies could mean unemployment for them.
Another unresolved issue is accountability when something goes wrong: is it the backup driver, the company that made the machine, or the programmers? Years after the Uber case, judges still haven’t set a clear precedent. Bureaucrats are still drafting safety rules, and insurers are asking for plain language about who pays when something goes wrong. Engineers add that the tech performs best when lane lines are fresh and signs are uniform, meaning cities may need to repaint roads and swap out old signage before the cars really work.
Despite these challenges, local leaders are moving cautiously. The PRESTO program in the East Bay gives residents a taste of autonomy on a short, supervised loop and collects data for policymakers. Officials publish reports on glitches and near misses and say they want to hear from drivers and neighbors about where, when, and how the vehicles should operate.
For now, even those who recognize the potential of autonomous vehicles aren’t ready to give up control. As Huynh put it, technology like Tesla’s Autopilot “can reduce fatigue and drastically improve safety” when used responsibly, but it can also “lead to the decline of [drivers’] own abilities” if they become too reliant on it. That balance between innovation and accountability seems to define this moment.
The carrot is appealing: safer streets and more freedom for older adults and people who can’t drive. The reality will be messy. Sorting out job impacts, liability, and infrastructure will take time. Until the technology proves itself and those messy details are settled, many Contra Costa residents will keep their hands wrapped around a steering wheel, even if there’s a computer ready to take over. For drivers like Huynh and Song, that simple act, steering through the twists and turns themselves, is still what makes the journey worth taking.
