There was a time when science and research was done for mere sake of improvement and not for material benefits. However, scientists are no longer interested in living a life of penury simply for the sake of science. Rather, they want to enjoy fruits of their knowledge when they are alive.
No longer are people satisfied with a Nobel prize a hundred years after they have died. In such a scenario, there is great emphasis for technologies that will appeal to the masses. Unfortunately, the masses have a very twisted view of tech and its uses. For some strange reason, people are of the opinion that technology will replace their intelligence and will help them lead a life with careless abandon.
When people talk of incorporating technology in automobiles, they want to create an automobile that will not crash even if it is driven badly. Driving has become safer. Sensors are used to judge distance between automobiles. Microprocessors are used to control various components of the vehicle with zero manual intervention.
On the face of it, the solutions are admirable and seem worth pursuing. However, it can be safely said that none of these solutions are going to make driving safer. Why? Mankind has the tendency of using technology in such an irresponsible manner that even the best devices are rendered useless. The cell phone was primarily designed to help people stay in touch even though they are far away from a wired connection.
However, how many people use a cell phone to stay in touch today? Not many. Rather, a cell phone is used primarily as source of sending Facebook update and tweets. Needless to say, over use of tech has lead to complications that were not anticipated earlier.