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

  • March 24, 2014
    ITS needs to talk the talk as well as walk the walk
    The US automated enforcement market is in rude health as the number of systems and applications continues to grow and broaden. Jason Barnes reports. Blessed and cursed – arguably, in equal measure – with a constitution which stresses the right to self-expression and determination, the US has had a harder journey than most to the more widespread use of automated traffic enforcement systems. In some cases, opposition to the concept has been extreme – including the murder of a roadside civil enforcement offici
    Read More
  • July 9, 2014
    Work starts on more UK smart motorways
    Three new major motorway schemes on the M1 and M3 will cut congestion and give Britain's drivers smoother, quicker journeys, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced. Construction will now start on the M1 junctions 28-31 in Derbyshire, M1 junctions 32-35a in South Yorkshire and on the M3 at junction 2-4a in Surrey. The new schemes are central to the Government's long term economic plan and part of US$41 billion of investment in the road network by 2021, which will see spending tripled to U
    Read More
  • May 18, 2016
    Car traffic in London is down but congestion is up, says new study
    London Congestion Trends, an in-depth study of the causes of traffic congestion in London between 2012 and 2015 published by Inrix, indicates that congestion in London is increasing, with journey times in Central London growing by 12 per cent annually. Inrix says this is consistent with data that shows that the London economy and population are growing, which normally results in an increase in gridlock. Further, unemployment and fuel prices are down, both of which usually mean a rise in traffic. Despite thi
    Read More
  • June 8, 2015
    ITS benefits escape public
    John Kendall considers the public’s awareness of the benefits of ITS. While the results of developing ITS technology may be clear to readers of ITS International, there is far less evidence that drivers have any appreciation of what the technology is doing for them. So how aware are drivers of the developments that are designed to make their journeys less congested and safer?
    Read More

Highlighted Content