A futuristic self-driving car interior with people working, relaxing, and enjoying various activities.

Self-Driving Cars: How Automated Vehicles Will Reshape Your Daily Life

Theo Raines in Tech & Innovation July 2025 • 4 min read.

"Explore the surprising ways autonomous vehicles could revolutionize everything from your commute to your career and even your home life."

Imagine a future where your car drives itself, allowing you to work, relax, or even sleep during your commute. This isn't a scene from a sci-fi movie, but a potential reality with the rise of automated vehicles (AVs). While much of the discussion around AVs has focused on their impact on traffic and the environment, the true revolution may lie in how they reshape our daily activities.

The promise of AVs goes beyond simply getting from point A to point B. They offer the potential to transform travel time into productive time, blurring the lines between work, leisure, and personal life. This shift could have profound implications for our schedules, travel patterns, and even our choices of where to live and work.

To truly understand the impact of AVs, we need to look beyond simple reductions in travel time and consider how they will alter the constraints and opportunities that shape our daily routines. This article explores the potential of on-board activities on daily activity schedules of travellers.

Unlock Productivity and Leisure: The Activities You'll Do in Your Self-Driving Car

A futuristic self-driving car interior with people working, relaxing, and enjoying various activities.

One of the biggest draws of AVs is the ability to engage in non-driving activities while traveling. Imagine catching up on work emails, reading a book, or even taking a nap during your commute. The possibilities are endless, but some activities are likely to be more popular than others. The activities in AVs may influence overall satisfaction, with travel, as well as opens various possibilities.

Understanding which activities are most desirable and feasible in AVs is crucial for predicting their impact on our lives. Research suggests that travelers will prioritize activities based on their urgency and novelty. Activities can be classified on their novelty and priority level to understand the potential re-arrangements of daily activities.

High-Priority & Current: Activities you already do and need to do, like working (planning your day, writing emails) or having breakfast.
High-Priority & New: Activities that are essential but you couldn't do while driving, such as attending a virtual work meeting, doing business, or attending to children.
Optional & Current: Relaxing activities you currently enjoy during commutes, like listening to podcasts or observing the landscape.
Optional & New: Leisure activities you've never had time for, like exercising, playing video games, or getting a massage.

The ability to perform these activities while traveling could lead to significant changes in our daily routines, as we strategically re-arrange activities. New on-board activities leads to complex re-arrangements of daily activity patterns.

Rethinking Travel: How to Model the Future of Automated Mobility

The rise of automated vehicles presents both opportunities and challenges for individuals and society. To ensure a smooth transition to this new era of mobility, it's crucial to understand how AVs will reshape our daily lives. We may need to think time-use effects, also that on-board activities may be classified in 4 quadrants according to their novelty and priority level

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1016/j.trd.2018.11.014, Alternate LINK

Title: How Will Automated Vehicles Shape Users’ Daily Activities? Insights From Focus Groups With Commuters In The Netherlands

Subject: General Environmental Science

Journal: Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Authors: Baiba Pudāne, Michał Rataj, Eric J.E. Molin, Niek Mouter, Sander Van Cranenburgh, Caspar G. Chorus

Published: 2019-06-01

Everything You Need To Know

What are the key benefits of Automated Vehicles (AVs) beyond just transportation?

Automated Vehicles (AVs) offer significant advantages beyond simple transportation. The primary benefit is the transformation of travel time into productive time, allowing individuals to engage in non-driving activities. This includes working, relaxing, or pursuing leisure activities. This shift can redefine our daily routines, travel habits, and even where we choose to live and work. The ability to engage in these activities during transit could significantly alter daily schedules and activity patterns.

How can activities in Automated Vehicles (AVs) be categorized based on their impact on daily life?

Activities in Automated Vehicles (AVs) can be classified into four categories: High-Priority & Current, High-Priority & New, Optional & Current, and Optional & New. * **High-Priority & Current:** These are essential activities already done, like work tasks and eating breakfast. * **High-Priority & New:** These are essential but previously impossible, such as virtual work meetings and attending to children. * **Optional & Current:** These are relaxing activities such as listening to podcasts, enjoyed during commutes. * **Optional & New:** These are leisure activities never before possible during transit, like exercising or playing video games. This categorization helps predict how AVs will influence daily activities and routines.

What are some examples of High-Priority & New activities that will become possible with Automated Vehicles (AVs)?

High-Priority & New activities enabled by Automated Vehicles (AVs) include attending virtual work meetings, conducting business, and attending to children. These activities are essential but were previously impossible to perform during a commute. The advent of AVs allows for these tasks to be integrated into daily routines, which can significantly alter how individuals manage their time and balance work and personal responsibilities while traveling.

How might the introduction of Automated Vehicles (AVs) reshape our daily schedules?

Automated Vehicles (AVs) can reshape daily schedules by enabling passengers to engage in various activities during commutes. This leads to complex re-arrangements of daily activity patterns. The ability to work, relax, or pursue leisure activities while traveling can alter the constraints of daily routines. This shift could influence travel patterns, the timing of activities, and even decisions about where to live and work. By optimizing travel time, individuals can potentially become more productive, have more leisure time, or better manage personal responsibilities.

What factors influence the prioritization of activities within Automated Vehicles (AVs)?

Travelers in Automated Vehicles (AVs) will prioritize activities based on two key factors: urgency and novelty. High-priority activities, either current or new, will likely take precedence. Activities that are essential or time-sensitive, such as work tasks, will be prioritized. Novelty also plays a role, with new opportunities like attending virtual meetings or playing video games potentially gaining prominence. The interplay of these factors will determine how individuals re-arrange their daily activities and maximize the benefits of automated travel.