As driverless cars get closer to becoming a reality, they’re also about to have an unintended consequence: an organ shortage.

A Slate piece Friday notes that as computers start taking the wheel of our vehicles, cars will become safer, and in turn, fewer people will die in car crashes. While on the surface that seems like a good thing, organs from a lot of those victims are what doctors use to save Americans dying from kidney and liver disease, and much more.

Currently, 6,500 Americans die each year waiting on an organ transplant, and that number is about to get much higher. Right now, 20 percent of the organs used in those transplants come from victims of vehicular accidents. When those accidents go down, so will the amount of donated organs.

One solution to the issue could be technology. Research is currently underway that would allow doctors to use 3D printers to essentially “print” a new organ for patients. Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for instance, have successfully printed human muscles and tissue. Some printed organs, from a variety of different researchers working in the space, have already been used in some clinical trials; however, there are quite a few outstanding questions about both the federal regulation of printed living matter and ethical implications of creating human parts. Organs are also exceptionally complex, and much more research will be needed before they’ll be ready to become commonplace.

Hopefully, 3D printed organs are ready for prime time when driverless Ubers start replacing real ones permanently behind the wheel.