Less than a third of drivers back autonomous vehicles

A new survey has revealed that almost half of drivers are not in favour of autonomous vehicles.

Research carried out by Venson Automotive Solutions found that 48% of respondents are against the new technology, with a further 22% still unsure of it.

The data has been included in a free white paper, The Journey Towards Full Driving Autonomy, which has been released to provide businesses with an update on connected and autonomous vehicles.

Simon Staton, client management director for Venson Automotive Solutions, said: “Of course, many vehicles on the road today already include semi-autonomous driver assistance features, but 70% of those we surveyed clearly feel it is too big a leap to shift from lane assist, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking to sitting back while the car takes full control.

“Over the next few years, many businesses will have a mixed fleet with different levels of autonomy which will need to be managed well to avoid misunderstandings relating to liability and responsibility.”

Autonomous vehicles

The Venson survey also asked respondents about their daily bad driving habits, with impatience (31%), distraction (28%) and speeding (25%) the most common bad habits.

Staton concluded:

“When AI is in control of the vehicle, the potentially dangerous driving habits of today won’t pose a risk, so we should ultimately see road safety improve. While company car drivers may shy away from switching to autonomous as soon as they become legal in 2026, keenness to explore the options will undoubtedly grow and in turn acceptance and fleet operators need to be ready.”