I think it would be just as easy for the law to turn the other way, and say you must have a driver competent to take control over the autonomous car at all times for it to be allowed on the road. This negates the pipe dreams of empty cars appearing to scuttle people away, sleeping on your way to work, taking one blacked out drunk, etc., but is perfectly in the context of safety first auto regulations. Road laws are made to favor safety above all else, its why highways still are capped at 70mph across most of the U.S. despite cars being much safer at speed than when these highways were built in the 1950s.

While I fear you are correct, I enjoy driving. Taking away the hobby I enjoy, and my family has enjoied for generations will not be done with my consent, nor the consent of many of the car clubs, often populated by thoze who own the companies who will enact such measures. I respect your vision, but you have a fight ahead. I think an alternate type of transportation than cars is the future. Most current emissions are heat and brake dust, and autonomous cars are only marganilly better there.

You could apply the same argument against guns.

The corallary would be that you can only use guns on ranges and private property, which is basically true for much of the world.

That's too US-specific.

And the parallel works only if you change the primary purpose of cars to killing.

Have you looked at the ownership to death stats?

One of these items is killing people...others are not.

Also, you've easily conflated the usecase of "killing people" with the usecase of "defending oneself".