Autonomous vehicles are still not trusted as a safe transport solution by the majority of UK road users.
A study by online car-changing marketplace Carwow revealed that most people don’t trust the technology sufficiently yet to be a passenger in a self-driving vehicle.
It found that 60% of survey respondents said they would not be comfortable as a passenger compared to 21% who would.
Motorists are also divided over how AVs will impact driving and road conditions in the future, with 44% not believing that autonomous driving will help reduce traffic jams or improve road safety. A further 28% are still unsure if it will benefit either of these areas.
This compares to 24% who think it will improve road safety and 18% believing it will reduce congestion.
Autonomous vehicle features
Of the ADAS features already commonplace in modern vehicles, 39% of respondents said they regularly use cruise control while 30% make use of lane assist, but only 11% use the self-parking feature.
Iain Reid, head of editorial at Carwow, said: “Self-driving cars are still a tricky concept for many people to grasp, so it’s interesting to understand how comfortable we feel with the idea of them. It’s not that surprising that some of us still have reservations about the technology, its impact on future road safety, and its potential to improve conditions.
“However, they’re not quite the far-off thought they once were, with companies like Tesla recently launching their new robotaxi. We’ve even had the promise of a Verne AV rollout in the UK in 2027. These steps forward could bring self-driving to a street near you sooner than you think.
