One of my biggest worries as a parent has been that about 13 years from now, my son is going to want to drive a car. But several recent developments in the world of self-driving vehicles now lead me to believe that may not be the case.

This summer, Google plans to build around 100 prototypes of self-driving cars for testing as part of a pilot program in California. It was just a day after unveiling that prototype last month that the CEO of smartphone driver-location service Uber said he wanted to replace all the people who drive its livery and taxi cars with autonomous, computer-controlled vehicles.

In a resounding endorsement of that vision, three Boston-area investment firms helped pump a total of $1.2 billion into Uber, pushing the company’s valuation to an astonishing $17 billion.

“The reason Uber could be expensive is because you’re not just paying for the car — you’re paying for the other dude in the car,” Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said at a recent conference. “When there’s no other dude in the car, the cost of taking an Uber anywhere becomes cheaper than owning a vehicle. So the magic there is, you basically bring the cost below the cost of ownership for everybody, and then car ownership goes away.”

But a societal shift away from car ownership is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how autonomous vehicles will change the world.

Think about all the time, space, and commerce that we devote to parking. Every parking garage and lot goes away when self-driving cars take over. Suddenly drivers aren’t circling like vultures in the North End and Beacon Hill looking for a coveted spot. Suddenly tons of land and space is open, ripe for development. And cops don’t have to waste time on speed traps.

Think about the environment. Computer-navigated cars mean more efficient travel patterns and fewer vehicles on the road. The result is better air quality and lower carbon emissions.

Perhaps the biggest shift will be in safety. Each year, 1.2 million people around the world die from auto accidents. Google has said it believes its self-driving cars can reduce that number by 90 percent, with sensors that look in every direction for more than 200 yards and automatically brake at signs of pedestrians or cars. Driverless cars mean no more drunken drivers, drag-racing or falling asleep at the wheel.

Uber is in the best position to usher in this revolution because it already has a robust and growing network that allows people to call for on-demand rides. Google has already invested nearly $300 million in Uber, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the two team up in a significant way, or perhaps even a merger.

Of course automakers and professional drivers won’t be happy with this change. But it’s coming, and as a parent, I’m on board.