Agreed, I don't think we should strive for parity. I'd much rather see driverless cars that are better than humans at driving, even if they need more tools to do it. The more poor drivers we can replace with driverless cars, the better.
Commercial self-driving cars should use every sensor modality which is cost effective and which improves safety. I would never argue we should hamstring our driverless cars, let's give them the best shot to be uber-safe and reliable, no question.
In the mean time, on a completely non-commercial separate track, AI researchers should try to do more with less. Driving using only visible-light sensors is a challenge. AI is pushed forward by taking on challenges exactly like this, let's see the push continue.
These two tracks may in fact intersect. When your LIDAR and radar are caked with ice and mud, you'll want the car to be able to drive visually at least to a safe stopping point.
