if you have to stay aware of road conditions with a risk of serious injury/death for not doing so, what is the purpose of using an auto-pilot feature?

I suppose you could go hands free because in the event of a road hazard you might just have to brake (although coming to a stop on a highway is dangerous - the person behind you might not stop).

For me the value of an auto-pilot feature is the gain of time. One can respond to emails, read, field a call w/out risking the safety of themselves or others, etc.