It looks like Americans aren't yet ready to embrace the future of driverless vehicles.
According to a new study by market research firm Harris Interactive's Harris Poll, nearly 9 in 10 American adults said they would be worried about riding in a driverless car. In contrast, only 12 percent of respondents said they would not worry about letting their cars do the driving.
Nissan Motors' Autonomous Drive Leaf electric vehicle is driven for a demonstration ride at the CEATEC Japan 2013 exhibition in Chiba, Japan, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013.Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images
It's the latest in a series of studies that suggest motorists are far from convinced the new technology will be safe and reliable, which could throw a dash of cold water on the industry's race to bring autonomous vehicles to market.
"This research confirms that consumers likely won't hand over the wheel until auto companies can prove equipment is safe from software glitches or failures," cautioned Rick Riccetti, president and CEO at Seapine Software, the firm that engaged Harris to conduct the poll.
The study found that 79 percent of the 2,039 adults who responded feared that the equipment needed by driverless vehicles—such as sensors or braking software—would fail at some point or another, putting them in danger.
Other findings include:
- 59 percent expressed concerns about liability issues, notably who would be responsible if a driverless car crashed;
- 52 percent raised concerns about the possibility of a hacker gaining control of the vehicle;
- More than one-third raised privacy concerns, questioning whether auto companies, insurers, advertisers or the government might try to collect personal data, such as where autonomous vehicles are driven and how fast they drive;
- Fewer than 1 in 8 of those surveyed said they'd now be comfortable driving in an autonomous vehicle.
The study found that men and women generally agreed about the potential risks. There was no real gap between older drivers, who are generally less comfortable with high technology, and younger, more tech-savvy motorists. While 93 percent of those older than 65 said they'd worry about driving in an autonomous vehicle, so did 84 percent of those ages 18 to 34.
