The Fear of Autonomous Vehicles
It was roughly one year ago when a study organized by the American Automobile Association (AAA) published a nationwide survey regarding driver’s feelings about autonomous vehicles, which have been progressing in development over the last few years. This study revealed that 63 percent of Americans were afraid of riding a self-driving car. When the study was repeated this year, the number jumped up to 71 percent. This growing fear of relying on a self-driving vehicle may be due to the highly publicized autonomous car accidents that have taken place in the last year. Regardless of what is contributing to this pervasive fear and skepticism, the results indicate that the public adoption of self-driving vehicles will likely be stalled until technological advancement is strong enough to dispel the worries of consumers.
Related Factors
There were a few factors found in the AAA study that was believed to have an effect on people’s level of comfort with automation. One of these factors was having prior exposure to modern driver assistance technology, such as automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. Survey respondents that own a vehicle with such features trusted driverless cars by 68 percent more than drivers who did not own a car with these modern safety features. Another significant factor was the limited capacity that the technology would be applied across situations. For example, 53 percent of survey respondents felt comfortable using a short-distance, low-speed transportation system such as an airport train. On the other hand, only 44 percent felt comfortable with the concept of autonomous delivery vehicles.
Survey on Public’s Opinions
The AAA survey also assessed the public’s opinions of self-driving car technology advancement, and the results were intriguing. Over 55 percent of those surveyed indicated that they believed most vehicles will have the ability to drive themselves by 2029. That is unlikely and overly optimistic, as AAA pointed out. This widespread misconception shows that there is a lot of public misunderstanding regarding how advanced autonomous vehicle technology already is. For example, Tesla advertises a package that offers “Full Self-Driving Capability,” yet their vehicles cannot actually drive on their own. It has been demonstrated that some prototypes can functionally drive through suburban cities in optimal weather conditions. However autonomous vehicles still cannot handle rain or snow. Additionally, no autonomous cars have been able to demonstrate a successful recovery from hydroplaning or losing traction on an icy roadway.
Watch YouTube Video: Self-Driving Cars: The Future of Transportation. This video provides a look at the incredible advancements of fully autonomous cars.
Pittsburg Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Pittsburg Personal Injury Lawyer. Many car companies have been given the approval and licensing to run autonomous vehicle trials in cities across America, including but not limited to Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, and Waymo. If you or a loved one has ever been injured by a driverless vehicle, consider speaking with an injury attorney that knows how to handle cases that involve advanced car technology features. Call me today at (925) 428-5220 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice.
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