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Friday Poll: Would you use a self-driving car?

The future of the automobile may be in robotic, self-driving vehicles. How eager are you to take your hands off the wheel and let a computer do the driving?

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
2 min read
Google robot car
Google's Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin hang out in a robot car. Google

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has your driving future in hand. He expects average citizens to be using self-driving cars within the next few years. Chances are, you are either delighted or terrified by the thought of our highways filling up with robot cars.

On one hand, all the people who are eating breakfast sandwiches and applying makeup behind the wheel during rush hour won't have to try to keep a token eye on the road.

On the other hand, there are plenty of questions about just how well computers and sensors can react to real-world situations like black ice or a porta-potty in the middle of the 405 (yes, I saw this happen).

I love to drive. I've read the scroll version of "On the Road." I have a classic car that is pretty much the antithesis of a robot car. However, I don't love to drive on jam-packed freeways. I wouldn't mind a self-driving car handling the transportation chores in a busy metro setting, but I wouldn't ever want to give up my 19 feet of '50s Detroit chrome and steel on a beautiful Sunday morning that's begging for a cruise.

Where do you fall on the spectrum of drivers? Maybe you can't wait to hand your driving duties off to a Google robot car so you can read the latest installment of the "Song of Fire and Ice" series behind the wheel on your way to work. Maybe you're thinking Google can pry the steering wheel of your 1972 Camaro out of your cold, dead hands.

Would you use a self-driving car? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.