I don't believe the report[1] actually said that the risk of a malfunction is higher than the risk of human error. In fact, it's quite optimistic about the abil

I don't believe the report[1] actually said that the risk of a malfunction is higher than the risk of human error. In fact, it's quite optimistic about the ability of automated systems to save lives, for precisely the reasons you described. They do, however, correctly point out that such systems can malfunction, and will malfunction, and that safety impacts of such malfunctions should be minimized. Because malfunctions in automated transportation can lead to, say, June 2009 on the DC Metrorail.[2] Such incidents are rare, and through hard work and foresight will be rare in the future, but that doesn't happen by itself. You have to make a concerted effort to ensure such systems fail gracefully. [1] http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/rulemaking/pdf/Automated_Vehicles_Policy.pdf http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/rulemaking/pdf/Automated_Ve... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2009_Washington_Metro_train_collision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2009_Washington_Metro_tra...