Nothing really new here but it is interesting that the mainstream press is picking up on this now.

In the Future, Smart People Will Let Cars Take Control

Stanford computer scientist Sebasian Thrun makes this prediction:

In five years he expects a car that could take over simple chores like breezing along an expressway, inching along in stop-and-go traffic, or parking in the lot at a mall or airport after dropping off the driver. In 20 years, Dr. Thrun figures half of new cars sold will offer drivers the option of turning over these chores to a computer

techRivet had a similar article earlier: Autonomous Cars will change urban living