Do you like a chatty or a silent chauffeur?

If you have ever been in a taxi, uber lyft, or a similar service you probably have a preference. Personally, I prefer a silent chauffeur. However, many Uber drivers in the USA are not worried about driverless cars taking their jobs because of “human/social” variables. Several say that many passengers prefer having a conversation when they are going somewhere. Another argument they like is that if there is no person in the driver seat, who is going to look over unruly passengers?
I do not know about you, but these arguments seem kind of weak, and not enough to assure Uber drivers will get to keep their jobs. Even if there are people who feel strongly about having a nice chat with their driver, does that outweigh the benefits of driverless cars? I do not think so. For instance, driverless vehicles make roads safer. If 90% of cars in the USA were driverless, the number of accidents would go from six million to 1.3 million according to the Eno center for transportation. That is without taking into account the financial benefits of driverless cars. According to Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick, the price of an Uber ride would decrease with the implementation of driverless cars as you would not have to contribute to the driver’s earnings.
However, first Uber will have to overcome several roadblocks to implement this technology more extensively. For instance, Uber had to start their driverless operations in Arizona after California did not allow them to do so. This is not to mention all the other problems Uber has faced in other parts of the world like London. All in all, I hope that soon I do not have to make awkward conversation to a complete stranger, but that day seems still far removed.