In 1958 Chrysler introduced cruise control, allowing drivers to set a specific speed and then relax while driving long distances. Some 15 years later, cruise control's popularity soared amid the oil crisis, since the automated technology could deliver better fuel economy.

Now, our cars do all sorts of things to make our lives easier and safer: Help us park, avoid accidents, navigate efficiently and remind us to focus on the road if we start to doze. Consumers are excited about driver-assist technology – Consumer Technology Association research found 93 percent of drivers who use advanced driving features love them, and half of those who don't use them are eager to upgrade and try out the technology.

And we're about to go even further. Self-driving cars are entering the market, bringing about a full-scale revolution in how we travel. As this transition unfolds, here are some advantages self-driving technology promises:

Self-driving cars will make our lives safer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 35,000 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2015, and that fatalities went up by 10.4 percent in the first half of 2016. Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car initiative, estimated that 1.25 million people die in traffic accidents around the world every year. Many more are seriously injured.

Distraction-related accidents – caused by everything from daydreaming and eating to putting on makeup – are a problem. Between 2014 and 2015, distraction-related fatalities increased 8.8 percent, more than any of the other "human choice" categories in the NHTSA's report. If 94 percent of U.S. traffic accidents are caused by human error, then eliminating human error with self-driving technology will greatly increase the safety of our roads and save tens of thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries a year.

Self-driving cars will make our lives more affordable. Self-driving cars will cut the costs of insurance, licensing and repairs, and will free up time spent in traffic or searching for parking spaces. Just the amount of time and gasoline used by commuters in urban areas amounts to $160 billion annually. Self-driving ridesharing will ease these burdens and lead to more headache-free commutes – and it's arriving sooner than you think. Lyft is partnering with nuTonomy to offer driverless ridesharing in Boston before the end of the year.

Aon, a multi-national insurance agency, estimates that self-driving cars could lead insurance companies to lower premiums by 40 percent or more. A Ruderman Family Foundation report forecasts savings of $1.3 trillion from the increase in productivity, decrease in gas expenses and drop in accidents.

Self-driving cars won't only save us money – they'll also unlock new sources of productivity and generate new sources of economic growth. Today, 20 to 30 million Americans of driving age are kept off the roads due to physical disability, and 16 million Americans over the age of 65 have little or no access to public transportation. Self-driving cars will open up new opportunities to these individuals, allowing them to enter the workforce and contribute to their local economies and societies.

Self-driving cars will make our lives more enjoyable. Self-driving cars won't only transform our economy and the way we do work – they'll also transform our concept of what a living room can be. A recent Wall Street Journal article urged readers to envision their cars as a living room: a space where families and friends can chat, watch TV or surf the internet. We saw this – and other innovative self-driving technology – at CES this year when Fiat Chrysler unveiled its Portal concept vehicle, which included removable seats and a retractable steering wheel.