Skip to main content

UK science centre gears up to become major driverless car test site following report’s findings

A consortium led by services provider Amey and partners RACE, Oxbotica, Siemens and Westbourne Communications has published the findings of its research into public perceptions of driverless cars. The PAVE (People in Autonomous Vehicles in Urban Environments) project engaged with over 800 people face-to-face through exhibitions, street surveys and workshops with industry experts and 500 feedback forms were collected. The report, which was overseen by Westbourne Communications, indicates that most peop
February 27, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A consortium led by services provider 6110 Amey and partners RACE, 8307 Oxbotica, 189 Siemens and Westbourne Communications has published the findings of its research into public perceptions of driverless cars.

The PAVE (People in Autonomous Vehicles in Urban Environments) project engaged with over 800 people face-to-face through exhibitions, street surveys and workshops with industry experts and 500 feedback forms were collected.

The report, which was overseen by Westbourne Communications, indicates that most people feel that driverless cars will be the norm at some stage between 2030 and 2050, although the majority of respondents felt there was also not enough information currently available. The majority (63 per cent of respondents) felt positive towards the concept of driverless cars being on our roads, with men being significantly more positive than women. People over 40 were also generally more positive than those under 40.

Other key findings were that most people thought that roads would be safer with driverless car technologies. There was, however, scepticism from many participants that a computer system could ever be fully prepared for the complexity of urban environments and that it was unlikely that cars would ever be 100 per cent driverless. Most people acknowledged the potential economic and environmental benefits of driverless cars, but the most popular benefit of the technology was that it could allow greater freedom for older or disabled people.

The project is now focused on preparing Culham Science Centre as a major test site for driverless cars, following several months of initial trials of the technology there.

Related Content

  • ADAS leads consumer preferences in new vehicle purchases, says survey
    July 28, 2016
    According to a new IHS Automotive global consumer survey, Connected Cars, 55 per cent of annual global new vehicle sales in 2020 will be connected vehicles and at that time, nearly half of the global fleet of vehicles in operation will be connected. Findings indicate that new advanced technologies and increased connectivity are driving consumer preferences as they consider new vehicles. More than 4,000 vehicle owners intending to purchase a new vehicle within the next 36 months were surveyed, representi
  • How to make people feel safe with AVs
    December 5, 2022
    New research suggests that having a person available to help might be useful for acceptance
  • Majority of Brits do not think AVs will reduce accidents, says Axa
    December 3, 2018
    Three-quarters of UK residents do not believe driverless cars will improve road safety, even though 90% of accidents are caused by human error. In a survey of 2,000 respondents, insurance firm Axa says only a third of UK residents believe driverless cars would be better for the environment and only 25% think the technology will improve safety for pedestrians. Axa emphasises that motorists are confused by the definition of a driverless car as well as by what sort of autonomous technology is available in mo
  • Research reveals motoring costs cause many cars in the UK to go unused
    June 19, 2017
    Analysis from car sharing platform HyaCar indicates that nearly half of people in the UK cannot afford to own a car and those who do spend upwards of £2,500 each year on its general upkeep, excluding costs for petrol and overall depreciation.