The most vaccine-hesitant parts of the country might seem more willing to accept risk, but that is deceptive. What is the rejection of a vaccine if not a refusal to accept the risk of trying it? Anti-vaxxers are only more willing than other Americans to live with the risk of catching COVID because they foolishly believe it’s riskier to take one of the vaccines.

Will most Americans make a similar calculation when it comes to the drunk-driving mandate in the infrastructure bill? Will they accept the trade-off, giving up some of their personal freedom and responsibility in return for the promise of living in a country where they never need fear being injured or killed by a drunk driver? And as technological advances continue and accelerate, will they be willing to go even further, giving over ever greater parts of their lives to the oversight of machines programed to act with our best interests in mind (with those interests defined in terms of the avoidance of physical harm)?

We may well answer in the affirmative. And perhaps that’s the right call. Maybe allowing our decisions to be overseen and countermanded by powers beyond our control is worth the cost. I just wish I saw more signs that we were thinking deeply about the stakes and pondering their ramifications for our humanity before taking the plunge.