New study: public continues to be wary of driverless cars

The majority of people (66 per cent) would be uncomfortable travelling in a driverless car at 70mph, according to a new study of 2,053 members of the public, carried out by ICM Unlimited on behalf of the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The news follows last week’s announcement that the Government has awarded a contract to TRL to test platoons of driverless lorries on major British roads by the end of next year. According to the findings, younger people tend to be more accepting of the technology, wi
August 30, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

The majority of people (66 per cent) would be uncomfortable travelling in a driverless car at 70mph, according to a new study of 2,053 members of the public, carried out by ICM Unlimited on behalf of the UK 5025 Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The news follows last week’s announcement that the Government has awarded a contract to 491 TRL to test platoons of driverless lorries on major British roads by the end of next year.

According to the findings, younger people tend to be more accepting of the technology, with 45 per cent of 25-36 year olds saying they would be comfortable in a 70mph driverless car, compared to just 13 per cent 65-74 year olds and eight per cent of over 75s. Women tended to be more cautious about the technology, with 72 per cent saying they would be uncomfortable compared to 60 per cent for men.

The survey found that 50 per cent of the public think that humans are better drivers than computers/cars, despite the fact that 90 per cent of UK road accidents are the result of driver error.

While the survey also showed that there is reluctance by the public to allow people who are sight-impaired to be the sole occupant of a driverless car, with just 23 per cent saying this should be allowed, there was also very little acceptance for people who are intoxicated being responsible for a driverless car, with just 12 per cent saying this would be acceptable.

Location Based Systems

Related Content

  • Growth of smart parking initiatives
    April 25, 2013
    New initiatives in smart parking have been announced in the US and Europe in recent months. Is the age of smarter parking finally with us? Jon Masters investigates. Smart parking comes to Manchester, reads the headline to a story posted on the UK city’s website towards the end of March this year. Sensors will be fixed to parking spaces to give drivers and authorities information on parking availability via mobile phone apps and other software, the story goes on to explain. Lower down the page, Manchester Ci
    Read More
  • Belfast and Bristol ‘most congested cities in UK’
    April 5, 2013
    According to the 2012 Congestion Index from satellite navigation specialists TomTom, motorists in Bristol and Belfast now face the slowest moving traffic in Britain. Even London’s infamous rush hour is less congested than peak-time jams in cities like Manchester and Nottingham, the annual global traffic figures found. The index shows that the average journey for drivers in Belfast takes 32.1 per cent longer than it would do if traffic moved freely, while in Bristol, journeys take 31 per cent longer. Londo
    Read More
  • London ‘needs next generation of infrastructure to compete’
    February 28, 2017
    Improving the capital’s infrastructure, through Crossrail 2, a new runway at Heathrow and East London river crossings, is key to the city’s future success and ability to compete, according to the latest CBI/CBRE London Business Survey. More than eight in ten of London’s companies see Crossrail 2 as being central to the capital’s successful expansion. Meanwhile, a similar number of firms think sticking to the Government’s current timetables for building Heathrow’s third runway is vital to London’s attractive
    Read More
  • Road user charging - replacing the gas tax with a mileage based fee
    January 19, 2012
    Oregon Department of Transportation's James Whitty discusses his state's progress with VMT fee-based charging. Back in 2001, the state of Oregon stole a lead on the rest of the US when it decided to address the need to do something about the gas tax and its decreasing ability to fund highway construction and upkeep. Recognising that a dwindling pot of money could only shrink further as vehicles became more fuelefficient, Oregon's Legislative Assembly passed laws which led to the setting up, by the state's g
    Read More

Highlighted Content