Over the past two years, consumer awareness of driverless vehicles has increased substantially. But a majority of people still want to have the option to drive themselves, according to a new report from Cox Automotive.
The report finds that 84% of consumers want to be able to drive themselves, even in a self-driving car, compared to 16% who would feel comfortable letting an autonomous vehicle drive them without the option to take control.
Despite the promise that autonomous vehicles will make roads safer because it will eliminate human error, respondents’ attitudes to this has changed, decreasing by 18 percentage points in the last two years.
“As awareness around the development of autonomous technology increases, we’re seeing some dramatic shifts in consumer sentiment,” said Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. “People now have a deeper understanding of the complexities involved when creating a self-driving car, and that has them reconsidering their comfort level when it comes to handing over control.”
As a result, self-driving cars are seen as less safe by consumers compared to two years ago. Nearly half of consumers responded they would never buy a Level 5 vehicle, up from just 30% saying they wouldn’t buy an L5 vehicle two years ago.
Much of the reason for the change may reside in the recent high-profile accidents that have involved autonomous vehicles, including the death of a pedestrian due to an Uber car in March of this year. Interestingly, those unaware of this incident are just as likely as others to believe roadways would be safer if all vehicles were operated by people as opposed to self-driving cars.
Despite this, consumers do want and expect semi-autonomous features in future cars because they agree that collision warning alert systems and collision avoidance systems help make people better drivers.
“There is a major opportunity, and a real need, for automakers and mobility providers to help educate consumers and further guide autonomous vehicles in their development,” said Joe George, Cox Automotive Mobility Solutions Group president. “Autonomous safety feature adoption will be critical in creating future autonomous technology advocates.”
To learn more about the Cox Automotive report, click here.
