High-profile crashes put a dent in consumer acceptance
Following high profile incidents involving autonomous vehicle technologies, a new report from AAA’s multi-year tracking study indicates that consumer trust in these vehicles has quickly eroded. Today, three-quarters (73 percent) of American drivers report they would be too afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle, up significantly from 63 percent in late 2017. Additionally, two-thirds (63 percent) of U.S. adults report they would actually feel less safe sharing the road with a self-driving vehicle while walking or riding a bicycle.
“Consumers should educate themselves on autonomous vehicle technology to fully understand the pros and cons,” said Matt Nasworthy, Florida Public Affairs Director, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Technology will continue to be a driving force for the future of transportation, but motorists still have a responsibility to be an engaged driver.”
Surprisingly, AAA’s latest survey found that Millennials – the group that has been the quickest to embrace automated vehicle technologies — were the most impacted by these incidents. The percentage of Millennial drivers too afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle has jumped from 49 percent to 64 percent since late 2017, representing the largest increase of any generation surveyed.
“It’s unrealistic for motorists to think autonomous vehicles will not crash once they hit the road,” continued Nasworthy. “Further testing is critical to ensure that the autonomous systems in vehicles do what they are intended to do and operate as safely as possible.”
AAA supports thorough testing of automated vehicle technologies as they continue to evolve, including testing under progressively complicated driving scenarios and varying conditions, but not at the expense of safety. Additionally, to help prevent the accidental misuse of the systems, AAA advocates for a common sense, common nomenclature and classification system, and similar performance characteristics of future autonomous vehicle technologies.
Key Findings
One-in-five (20%) U.S. drivers would trust a self-driving vehicle and 7 percent are unsure.
Women (83%) are more likely to be afraid than men (63%).
Two-thirds (64%) of Millennial drivers would be too afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle, up from 49 percent at the end of 2017. This represents the largest increase of any generation surveyed.
To help educate consumers on the effectiveness of emerging vehicle technologies, AAA is committed to the ongoing, unbiased testing of automated vehicle technologies. Previous testing of automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, self-parking technology and lane keeping systems has shown both great promise and great variation. Future AAA testing will look at how well systems work together to achieve higher levels of automation.