Rigger Soul-searching, Can we do without them? Options

[Trashman]

It came up during the latest post-run discussions of my group:

Does one need a rigger or is it enough just to have someone who can drive like a madman?
To elaborate. Riggers in planes and helicopters are (almost) a reality in our dear quaint old fifth world. Granted. Seems reasonable viz. the microseconds you have in jets to decide whether to release the rocket or do the pacifist bit.
Now, riggers on streets are an entirely different kettle of fish. Depending on style of play, your group might not be exclusively stuck in urban free fire zones where a rigger might have to handle street code, on-board HMGs and that nifty SAM on top all at the same time. At least, I goad my group towards something one might call low-tech (hey, they're from the Barrens, they think spurs are SOTA). So my feeling is riggers basically come into their own mainly as getaway-drivers. They have to know their way around town, they have to be socially adaptively insane and they need to talk about their cars like that sad git in Full Metal Jacket did about his rifle 'Charlene'. The need for VCR never comes into it.
So you have sensors for that 360 degrees vista. Fine. And is there any space left for the runners?
So you (I quote one of the latest novels) can feel the rain on your hood. What's the use for that?
So your body movements are translated into car movements (Rigger III). Fat chance. Never known anybody who was better on all fours than on two legs.
I could go on.
There's obviously a reason for having riggers the way they are in SR. Samurai are Samurai. Nerds have become ultra-cool deckers, Magic-users are superhuman anyway. And then only include some poor slot who sits behind the wheel? Of course nobody wants to play that type.

What are your feelings?
(And don't burn me for the above. I'm putting this forward BECAUSE I want to be able to review my ideas about riggers)