Would You Trust A Self-Driving Car If You Owned One Right Now? Here’s What Car Fans Say - Exclusive Survey
We’re gradually moving toward a future of self-driving cars. From Tesla, GM, Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Toyota, and Honda to just about any other big-time automakers you may think of, you can bet they already offer or are gearing up to release autonomous vehicles. Even big tech companies likeAppleandGoogleare not left behind, and they’re busy developing self-driving products. It’s like the gold rush era and most car and tech companies are racing toward full autonomous technology that could shape our future.
To give credit where it’s due, automakers such as Tesla, GM, and Ford already have cars with Level 2 self-driving features. OnlyMercedes Benzis approved internationally for Level 3 self-driving, and it could be a while before we get all the way to Level 5 — that is, to vehicles capable of operating themselves without any human involvement or even attention. One thing is for certain — change is inevitable. But now that self-driving technology is becoming a reality, does the average American trust it? We did a survey to find out.
Most people don’t trust a self-driving car
In an exclusive SlashGear survey, we asked 631 respondents based in the U.S. if they would trust a self-driving car if they owned it right now. A significant majority — 67.35% of the surveyed respondents — answered that they wouldn’t trust a self-driving car. The finding isconsistent with previous surveysdone by American Automobile Association (AAA).
Robert Sumwalt, then-chairman of theNational Transportation Safety Board(NTSB), said in 2020, “There is not a vehicle currently available to US consumers that is self-driving. Period.” Any car that is sold with autonomous technology still requires you to be alert and ready to intervene when necessary. In fact, most accidents that involved self-driving cars arecaused by humansover-relying on driver assistance technology. However, 32.65% of the respondents in our survey trust a self-driving car, and it’s possible the number could increase as the technology becomes more advanced. Even so, most people still want their cars to come with smart driving features designed around safety, such as lane-keeping assistance, blind spot warning, and automatic emergency brakes, according toAAA, and that may help improve the public’s view of autonomous driving going foward.
