Skip to main content

Four out of five people ‘think autonomous vehicles are a good idea’

A new report from Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and Royal Holloway, University of London, has revealed that four out of five of the people surveyed (81 per cent) are open to the idea of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the UK’s roads. The ‘Attitudes to AVs’ report shows that many people feel that AVs would help deliver a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits. In addition, the levels of trust in AVs among the people surveyed was also shown to be fairly high, with 55 per cent of responde
August 23, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

A new report from Transport Research Laboratory (491 TRL) and Royal Holloway, University of London, has revealed that four out of five of the people surveyed (81 per cent) are open to the idea of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the UK’s roads.

The ‘Attitudes to AVs’ report shows that many people feel that AVs would help deliver a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits.

In addition, the levels of trust in AVs among the people surveyed was also shown to be fairly high, with 55 per cent of respondents agreeing that they can trust an AV and 23 per cent saying they ‘somewhat’ agreed they would trust an AV to deliver them to their destination safely.

Chief scientist and research director, Transportation at TRL, Alan Stevens, commented: “While this survey looks at a relatively small and self-selecting sample of people, it is pleasing to see that so many of them were open to using an autonomous vehicle.

“Of course, there were also concerns expressed around certain parameters of an AV’s operation, namely the security of the software and what data the vehicle would store. However, these are issues that we are already beginning to address, with work taking place on various projects and trials.”

The study was run in conjunction with Royal Holloway as part of a larger project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and took the form of an online survey, which received 233 responses.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Connected navigation more popular than social media and radio streaming
    April 19, 2012
    In a new ABI Research connected car consumer survey, 1,500 respondents in the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, and China were asked about their use (and non-use) of several services available to the ‘connected car.’ Among those who do not currently use any infotainment services, connected navigation was named as the most desired infotainment service by between 59 per cent and 72 per cent (extremely/very interested) in all countries except China, where the greatest interest was in concierge services.
  • A new beginning for travel information, based on users' needs
    February 3, 2012
    Despite its name, the EU's forthcoming SUNSET project could represent a new beginning for travel information services. Here, Susan Grant-Muller and Frances Hodgson from the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds detail a project which is intended to exert a greater influence on network users' travel habits
  • US ITS systems approach critical decision time
    February 6, 2012
    Connie Sorrell, chair of the ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition, explains why ITS in America is approaching a critical crossroads
  • US ITS systems approach critical decision time
    February 3, 2012
    Connie Sorrell, chair of the ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition, explains why ITS in America is approaching a critical crossroads. Connie Sorrell, as Chief of Systems Operations for the Virginia Department of Transportation, doesn't normally speak in hyperbole, but she can't help but be enthusiastic about this year's ITS America's annual meeting in the nation's capitol, 1-3 June, 2009. Certainly, as Chair of the 2009 ITS America Annual Meeting and Exposition, like everyone who has performed this impo