If you’ve walked around a major city in the last year, chances are you’ve crossed paths with a self-driving vehicle. San Francisco, Phoenix, Nashville, and my hometown of Austin are just some of the places where robotaxis are taking off.

But are they taking off with our autonomy?

Lately, it seems like for every company that pumps the brakes (such as GM Cruise suspending operations after one of its vehicles struck and dragged a woman for 20 feet), another two companies announce their presence. This trend continues in spite of the fact that as one company implodes, consumer skepticism grows.

In fact, the current self-driving vehicle trend is a head scratcher for the most devout of free market economists, technologists, and pragmatists. At the very least, it demands the attention of freedom-loving Americans—whose very autonomy is at stake.

First, and most alarmingly, the presence of this technology is growing commensurate with consumer skepticism. That means that while companies like Google quadruple down on it autonomous vehicle system, Waymo, consumer demand shrinks. As my research concludes, there is a seeming inverse relationship between robotaxi market growth and consumer trust. Public perception only worsens as this technology matures.

Second, leading researchers and automotive executives increasingly conclude that self-driving vehicles as a concept will only work if we all give up our steering wheels and........

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