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posted by janrinok on Saturday July 25 2015, @05:36PM   Printer-friendly

While only a small percentage of drivers say they would be completely comfortable in a driverless car, a sizable amount would have no problem as long as they retain some control, according to a University of Michigan report.

Researchers Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak of the U-M Transportation Research Institute examined motorists' preferences for vehicle automation, including their overall concern about riding in self-driving cars.

They surveyed 505 licensed drivers and found about 44 percent prefer to retain full control while driving. Nearly 16 percent would rather ride in a completely self-driving vehicle, while almost 41 percent said they prefer a partially self-driving vehicle with only occasional control by the driver.

Male drivers and drivers under 45 are more likely to favor partially or completely self-driving vehicles, the researchers say.

"Self-driving vehicles are often discussed in regard to their potential safety, energy-consumption and environmental benefits, or the existing technical challenges that must be overcome for their successful implementation," Schoettle said. "However, less attention has been paid to considering the actual level of automation, if any, that drivers desire in their vehicle."

While about two-thirds of those surveyed said they are at least moderately concerned about riding in completely self-driving vehicles, that percentage drops to less than half for partially self-driving cars. Women and those 45 and older are more apt to have concerns with either level of automation. According to the U-M report, nearly all respondents (96 percent) would want to have a steering wheel and gas and brake pedals available in completely self-driving vehicles.

As for partially self-driving vehicles, 59 percent of those surveyed said they prefer a combination of three warning modes (sound, visual, vibration) to notify drivers when to take control of the vehicle. About 19 percent thought that sound and visuals would be enough.

Schoettle and Sivak defined the three levels of automation as:

  • Completely self-driving: The vehicle will control all safety-critical functions, even allowing the vehicle to travel without a passenger if required.
  • Partially self-driving: The driver will be able to hand over control of all safety-critical functions to the vehicle; only occasional control by the driver will be required.
  • No self-driving: The driver will always be in complete control of all safety functions, but the driver will be assisted with various advanced technologies.

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday July 25 2015, @06:45PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Saturday July 25 2015, @06:45PM (#213569) Journal

    Simple, they write a law saying that one occupant of the vehicle needs to be licensed, or have a picture ID if they don't own the car. Parents will comply and get their kids into those databases so that they can send the car to fetch them from soccer practice.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 25 2015, @08:10PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 25 2015, @08:10PM (#213616)

    > Simple, they write a law

    Just because you call it simple doesn't make it so. The point of having to get a law passed is that the public gets input. They would have to justify it and lots of people would see through the bullshit.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 25 2015, @11:12PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 25 2015, @11:12PM (#213684)

      Apparently enough people haven't seen through the bullshit of the TSA, mass surveillance, DUI checkpoints, License Plate Readers, or any number of other horrible things that are in use now. Even when some people complain, their reasoning is bad (e.g. "It inconveniences me.", "It doesn't truly keep us safe.", etc.) and they don't think about freedom or the constitution.

      The majority is borderline retarded.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 26 2015, @05:17PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 26 2015, @05:17PM (#213908)

        > The majority is borderline retarded.

        Including yourself as your shallow response was so predictable that I considered pre-empting it. But then figured I'd just flame any idiot who was actually so self-righteous as to post it. The reason most of those things don't get fought is because of (a) fear and (b) not-my-problemism. When 90% of the population gets forced to do something for which there is no fear inducement they will complain.