[mhurron]

And what other meaning does "We're racing to get self-driving cars to save a lot fewer people" have in this context?

[melling]

Many people are excited that self-driving cars could potentially save a million lives a year, which will be an incredible achievement.

We need that sort of excitement and effort for cancer research. Eventually 40% of Americans will get cancer, for example:

http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics