Traffic is the great equalizer in America. Whether you’re a Wall Street executive in a Cybertruck or a broke college kid in a fading hand-me-down, you’re stuck watching the same sea of brake lights flicker like cruel Morse code spelling out: “You’re going nowhere.” For the more than 100 million Americans commuting by car, that pain is a daily ritual.

But here’s the truth: it doesn’t have to be this way.

Driverless cars — already operational in places like San Francisco and Phoenix through companies like Waymo — promise to actually ease congestion, reduce accidents, and take human error out of the equation. Machine learning doesn’t get road rage. It doesn’t check Instagram behind the wheel. It doesn’t sit waiting at a green light. So why are we?

For everyday Americans, the pause stems from market sentiment regarding the safety of such vehicles. Letting an autonomous system speed your car 70 miles per hour down the road to the kids’ soccer practice is a giant leap from Amazon’s Alexa and the Roomba vacuum robot. Likewise, Uber and taxi drivers — alongside truckers — are already voicing concerns with how this technology could cost them their jobs.

But beneath the surface of slow-to-adopt consumers and drivers fearing industry changes, driverless vehicles are most prominently hindered by excessive regulations. From federal vehicle safety statutes to state testing and permitting laws, a complex set of legal standards has slowed the implementation of Waymos and Teslas across the country. This year, legislation was introduced in Delaware, Nevada, and Tennessee to outright prohibit driverless vehicles or trucks. (RELATED: Biden’s Skeptics Will Halt the Next Transportation Revolution)

Luckily, the Trump administration has already eased some federal safety rules on crash reporting requirements and unneeded rearview mirrors. On the other side of the aisle, California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to buck the trends and vetoed hostile, sweeping regulations to instead focus on crash mitigation and challenges for law enforcement.

Consumer sentiment is starting to move. Skepticism is natural with any transformative technology, but hands-on experience with autonomous vehicles has been shown to build trust. Seniors who can no longer drive and parents running their kids to school and activities enjoy the independence, time-saving, and ease of life with these cars.

Still, too many policymakers would rather double down on costly subsidies, congestion taxation schemes, and one-size-fits-all transit fantasies that ignore how most Americans actually live. People don’t want to be told to abandon their cars — they want better, smarter choices for how to get around.

Self-driving cars promise more than just efficiency. They offer freedom. You can commute, travel, and connect on your own terms. No bureaucratic politics or government shutdown deciding train times. No one taxing you more for a car drive into the city. (RELATED: Less Is Still Too Much)

Policymakers must stop treating driverless vehicles like a threat and start realizing they will improve American economic growth, family life, and leisure in the same vein as Zoom meetings and low-cost airlines.

Driverless cars aren’t some distant dream — they’re already being tested and used in real cities across the country. The technology is here. What’s missing is the political will to let it grow.

Opponents will argue that caution is necessary. Sure — but caution is different from paralysis. This is about what kind of future we want. A future where artificial intelligence frees up our time, reduces the daily grind, and improves the quality of life for Americans. It’s time to remove the roadblocks and let driverless cars thrive.

READ MORE from Sam Raus:

Can Bessent Save Venmo and Zelle From the CFPB?

Google’s Plight: Toxic Search for Antitrust Remedies

Sam Raus, a recent graduate of the University of Miami, is a Tech and Consumer Freedom Fellow with Young Voices. Follow him on Twitter: @SamRaus1.