58% of drivers are 'uncomfortable' with the idea of using a self-driving vehicle, finds survey
May 2022 - Automotive
58% of drivers are 'uncomfortable' with the idea of using a self-driving vehicle: A major survey looking at the future of motoring and the prospect of driverless cars has revealed that almost six in 10 people feel uncomfortable with the idea of using a driverless vehicle.
The government-backed survey which polled 4,860 drivers helped inform the report titled Driverles Futures? A survey of UK public attitudes. The research found that more than half the respondents (55%) said they would also feel uneasy sharing the road with self-driving vehicles.
The research found that to instil trust amongst road users almost nine out of 10 respondents (86%) said they want self-driving cars to be clearly labeled so they can clearly be distinguished from person-driven vehicles. The vast majority (92%) also reported that they believe crash data must be surrendered in full to investigators in the event of a collision. At the moment, unlike black boxes for aircraft, companies which are developing self-drive vehicles are not required to share crash data following a collision.
The survey also revealed that six in 10 respondents are in support of a higher safety bar when it comes to self-driving vehicles. They agreed that self-driving cars should be 'much safer than the safest human driver' or 'never causing a serious collision'.
The research revealed that many respondents believed certain self-driving transport would be useful, with 62% saying that self-driving shuttle buses would be beneficial. Just over half (54%) agreed that self-driving delivery pods would be useful, while 43% believed self-driving taxis could be a positive thing.
When it came to who would benefit the most from driverless vehicle technology, the survey revealed a certain level of cynicism with almost three-quarters of respondents saying that they believe that the companies who develop the vehicles would be the big winners. Just 13% said that they believed poorer people would stand to benefit from driverless technology more than their 'rich' counterparts.
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