Although many people fear self-driving vehicles, many are in favor of driver assistance systems
Through Brad Anderson
14 hours ago
An interesting survey from the US has found that two-thirds of drivers are afraid of self-driving vehicles, a figure that has risen significantly from the 54% who expressed similar sentiments in 2021.
AAA’s survey was conducted between January 11 and January 16, 2024, using a panel to obtain sample coverage of approximately 97% of US households. A total of 1,010 eligible drivers responded to the survey and 66% of them said they are afraid of self-driving vehicles, 25% said they are unsure about such technologies, and only 9% said they trust vehicles that can drive themselves.
The share of people fearful of self-driving vehicles has declined marginally from 68% in 2023, but remains much higher than the 55% reported in 2022 and 54% in 2021. AAA director of automotive engineering research Greg Brannon believes that recent accidents involving autonomous vehicles are partly responsible for the growing fear.
Read: Automatic emergency braking systems for reversing improve safety, but are far from perfect
“Consumer anxiety has increased in recent years,” he says. “Given the numerous and well-publicized incidents involving current vehicle technologies, it is not surprising that people are concerned about their safety.”
While people remain skeptical of fully autonomous vehicles, many still support the semi-autonomous driver assistance features that have become commonplace in most new cars. For example, 63% of American drivers want an automatic emergency braking system in their next car, while 63% also want an automatic emergency braking system and 62% lane-keeping assistance.
Worryingly, 40% of people say they believe there are currently cars on sale that can drive themselves while you sleep, which is not true. The AAA says this shows that consumers need to be better informed about such technologies.
“AAA is committed to working with automakers to achieve uniformity in system naming and performance across the industry,” Brannon said. “Working together, we can help consumers understand the technology in their vehicles and educate them on how, when and where to properly use such systems.”
