AutoPacific, a U.S. enterprise management consultancy, recently released a survey report showing that most consumers still have doubts about fully autonomous driving technology, and less than 30% of the public believe that fully autonomous vehicles can safely escort them to their destination.
However, quite interestingly, the study also found that age is key to influencing acceptance of this assistive technology. While major automakers around the world are actively developing various driver assistance functions, respondents have the most confidence and expectations for Tesla's technological development.
AutoPacific selected 600 people across the U.S. for a survey of people aged 18-80 who have a driver's license and asked them what they thought about self-driving technology. It turned out that only 29% of respondents said they could trust and accept full autonomous driving, and it is clear that people still cannot accept the steering wheel completely in the hands of computers. Interestingly, perhaps because passengers are not liable for car accidents, 26% of the population said they were able to travel with peace of mind in a fully autonomous assisted vehicle driven by someone else.
The longer you hold the steering wheel, the more reserved you are, and the younger you are, the more you trust self-driving technology
AutoPacific's survey also found that age is an important indicator of acceptance of fully autonomous driving technology, and the younger the driver, the higher the confidence in this technology. 40% of people aged 18-29 say they can trust fully autonomous driving systems, while only 18% of respondents over the age of 60 share the same idea, showing that changing long-established driving habits through technology is not an easy task. Consumers tend to wait for this fully automated driving technology to be more mature and have more data that can confirm the reliability of autonomous driving to objectively confirm the safety of this technology.
Autonomous driving brand expectations, Tesla, Apple Car, Toyota and BMW are the most anticipated
AutoPacific also surveyed consumers' expectations for the future development of autonomous driving technology in major car manufacturers, 30% of respondents believe that Tesla has the best chance of developing a mature and reliable comprehensive self-driving system, followed by Toyota and BMW, which received 19% and 18% of consumer votes respectively. In addition to traditional car manufacturers, Apple, a major American technology manufacturer that is rumored to be actively developing Apple Cars, also received 20% of the vote support.