Thanks for all the thoughts on this matter. I guess my age was showing when I spoke about the American fascination with cars. I realize for most younger people the view has changed. For many it is not even an option as they are still living at home because they can't find a job and have student loans to pay off. But if your are fortunate enough to live in an area with good public transportation, why bother? When we lived in Warsaw for example, our car sat in the driveway 99% of the time.
I agree that with more and more automation the fundamental structure of society will have to change and I think that is why some countries are beggining to toy around with the idea of paying everyone a basic income. To help cover the costs, all forms of welfare would be done away with.
I also had this strange thought that if adjustments are not made to make things a bit more equitable, that the pizza delivery bot will have to be armed or accompanied by an armed security drone. I can just picture a gang of unemployed truck drivers hiding in the bushes waiting for dinner to arrive.
It might also make the roads safer for bicyclists when there are less bad drivers on the road. I live 13km from the nearest grocery store. It is doable by bike, but at the moment, I would not dream of getting on the road with the way people drive around here.