A little overlooked in the series (although it hasn't been completed yet, so it's a little speculative) is the affect that altering the dominant mode of transportation will have on the way we live, beyond the way we move around. Eliminating the need for parking, etc., greatly impacts the density of residential and commerce, potentially increasing other forms of transportation as well. Denser cities also lend themselves better to public transit as well, which could possibly benefit or suffer as a result, depending on a number of things.

I'll have to look into the affect that self-driving cars have on suburbs, where our density of living is defined by our want for space, which was afforded by the advent of the automobile. Self-driving cars probably make living in a suburb easier, they just likely increase the need of vehicles as well as the time required for them. Decreasing travel times could even cause users to want to live farther out, although it's hard to speculate and would depend a lot on pricing schemes and what not.

Exciting time though - I'm hopeful I'll see this in my lifetime.