Self-Driving Cars: Most People Wouldn’t Feel Safe
If you aren’t smitten with the idea of self-driving cars, you’re not alone. Research suggests most drivers wouldn’t feel safe travelling in them…
Little Faith in Self-Driving Cars
Self-driving cars are, according to their proponents, the future of the automotive industry; promising motorists a stress-free, and safer, way of reaching their destinations. New research, however, suggests that most drivers around the world believe that they wouldn’t feel safe in them.
Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s research, for instance, suggests that just 27% of the global population would feel comfortable using self-driving vehicles. There are, however, national discrepancies. Some 45% of the Danish population, for example would be happy to travel in them – making it one of the most trusting towards the cars. The people of Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates are also, generally, open to them. Conversely, the populations of Gabon, Zimbabwe and Indonesia are some of the least trusting.
‘Work to be Done’
Dr Sarah Cumbers, director of evidence and insights at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, commented on the research. She said, “the results from the latest World Risk Poll indicate significant trust issues with perceptions of the safety of self-driving vehicles”.
She continued, “despite technological advancements and anticipated safety benefits, there is still much work to be done – both in terms of regulation, and in working with communities to ensure that the public have confidence in these vehicles”.
Part of the problem, however, might be that automotive and technology companies have overpromised when it comes to self-driving cars. Indeed, corporate giants such as Uber and Ford have repeatedly missed their deadlines. A series of accidents concerning autonomous technologies won’t have helped either. As long as the technology exists largely in abstract, rather than on public roads, it’s unlikely attitudes will significantly change.
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