Study Finds Widespread Fear of Self-Driving Cars Among Drivers

Rising Concerns: More People Fear Self-Driving Cars in 2022 Survey

The dream of completely autonomous cars still remains unattainable. However, a recent study conducted by AAA reveals a surprising fact: the majority of individuals have developed a fear towards self-driving vehicles. In an unexpected turn of events, this number has actually escalated in the past few years, while the public’s confidence in these cars has decreased.

AAA reported that a majority of survey participants, or 66 percent, expressed apprehension towards autonomous vehicles. This number has increased from 55 percent in 2022, but has decreased from 68 percent the previous year. The percentage of individuals who have faith in self-driving cars remained unchanged at 9 percent between the years 2023 and 2024, while 25 percent remained uncertain about them. These figures have decreased from 15 and 30 percent, respectively, in the year 2022.

Although some shoppers may have concerns about autonomous vehicles, most are actually open to having certain technological features in their cars. According to a survey, potential buyers show interest in incorporating specific technologies into their vehicles, with more than half being open to features such as automatic braking, reverse automatic braking, and lane keep assist. Only 42 percent of respondents showed interest in active driving assist, while 49 percent were in favor of adaptive cruise control.

Buyers should approach driver aids with caution, as a recent AAA study revealed that they may not always be trustworthy. According to the organization’s findings, automatic rear braking systems were only successful in preventing accidents in one out of 40 trial runs. Furthermore, half of the vehicles tested failed to come to a complete stop when faced with stationary pedestrians behind them.

The concept of self-driving cars is not a concern for most consumers at present. General Motors’ Cruise division has encountered major challenges in ensuring safety during the past few months, and it seems that Google’s Waymo is currently one of the few companies fully committed to developing this technology. While they have recently expanded their robotaxi service to Los Angeles, it will still take several years before this technology becomes accessible in regular passenger vehicles.

Source: AAA