Most Americans Fear the Self-Driving Car
While it seems like a self-driving car is a convenience most people would love to experience, in truth, not many Americans are excited by the new technology. According to a survey by AAA, three quarters of Americans admit they are “afraid” to ride in a self-driving car.
Of course that just may be fear of the unknown. In fact, people who already own vehicles with semi-autonomous features are 75% more likely to trust those features than those who don’t. Overall, only 20% of people say they trust a car to drive itself, but the majority of folks do want at least some autonomous features in their vehicle like emergency braking, cruise control, self-parking technology or lane keeping assist. As for why they want them, 84% cited safety as their biggest motivation, followed by convenience (64%), reducing stress (46%) and wanting new technology (30%).
Still, there are a great many people who would rather keep these features out of their vehicles. The biggest reason people cite for not wanting them is that they trust their own driving skills more than technology (84%). Other reasons include not wanting to pay extra for it (57%), not knowing enough about it (50%) and finding the features annoying (45%).
Source: AAA