Right, so why does the negative opinion towards self-driving cars seem to be that a computer isn't allowed to slow down to give it more time to react, which it would just treat as business as usual?
Well, for one you're passing your incompetence off to other drivers to deal with, something that will inevitably lead to accidents behind the car that slows down without any actual reason, for another because driving is a lot more complex than flying when it comes to automation. You might expect the opposite but pilots routinely describe their careers as 30 years of boredom punctuated by 30 seconds of sheer panic.
No, but you can ditch an engine that is on fire.
> instead opting to land.
That is supposed to be the outcome of any successful flight.
Autoland is possible with an engine out, even at low altitude (on final approach):
http://www.askcaptainlim.com/flying-on-the-boeing-777-flying...
So as far as the software goes that's business as usual and not even an 'oh shit' scenario.