I thought the Tesla crash might derail self-driving cars. Then I took a ride in one

I'm sitting in the passenger seat of a modified Audi A7 going about 50 mph on a Washington freeway when the driver -- an Audi engineer -- takes his hands off the wheel. A strip of sky-blue LEDs just beneath the windshield lights up, the dashboard behind the steering wheel indicates the car is in "piloted" mode, and the steering wheel recedes slightly. As we pass an interchange, a sedan and an SUV move to merge into our lane. The Audi, nicknamed "Jack," slows down on its own, giving the other cars enough room to merge safely. All the while the Audi engineer, Kaushik, doesn't lift a finger -- or a toe for that matter -- to touch the wheel or the pedals.