Are Technologically Advanced Cars worth the potential security risk?

At one point in the evolution of modern technology, motor vehicles went from purely mechanical devices to highly complex computers on wheels.  Everything from the headlights to the dashboard to the climate control is controlled by computers and microprocessors.  Cars are so smart now they can even park themselves and the recent advances in Bluetooth and other wireless technology have enabled cars to essentially become an extension of the smartphone.  Most car dealers also offer built in 4G wireless data plans to enable the use of things like Pandora internet radio and an in-car WiFi network for passengers.  Although advancements like this can be incredibly convenient on long car trips, having a wireless access point in such a complicated piece of computerized equipment could pose serious risk that some car buyers may not be considering when they sign the lease.

Over the past year, two hackers have been developing a program that allows them to remotely connect to the brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee's internal computer and control every piece of electronic equipment in the vehicle, including turning the engine on and off and turning the wheels.  The Wired article here includes a video in which the two hackers showcase their software with a journalist behind the wheel of one of these Jeeps.  It's an incredibly dangerous piece of software and jeep owners are lucky that security specialists managed to expose the exploit to the manufacturer before any hackers with more malicious intent got their virtual hands on the wheels of some of these cars.  

Patches have been sent from the manufacturer of Jeep out to all owners of cars with similar systems on board, but this is only the beginning of the car hacking story.  Software developers work tirelessly to ensure their systems are constantly being updated and continually protected against any sort of malicious software that may find its way into a system, and now that word is out about the possibilities of car hacking, it's a guarantee that hackers will be trying to break into cars for generations to come.  Because of this unfortunate fact, it's important to pose some questions: how far can these car companies be trusted?  Will  all manufacturers be able to preemptively protect their wireless systems or will there be car hacking related deaths before we can be sure that all wireless-enabled cars are made safe? Will hackers eventually ruin wireless vehicle technology for all of us?

All of this is clearly speculation but when more than 30,000 drivers are killed every year, the possibility of the number increasing due to one or two cruel people sitting comfortably in front of their computer screens is incredibly disconcerting.  Every day pieces of science fiction become reality but it's important to think about when this trend should stop.