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:
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday July 25 2015, @06:55PM
None of these driverless surveys have any meaning before driverless cars are commercially available and maybe 1% of the population is using them on the road.
96% say they want a steering wheel... before they have ever been able to test "drive" this technology. If they have heard of it, they probably watched a 2 minute segment on TV news. I don't see the full report on UoM's site, but I'd be interested to see the % of respondents that knew that driverless cars existed before taking the survey.
Acceptance of the technology will skyrocket once they see peers using it. Or perhaps it will be the lower insurance rates that entice them. Whatever the case, expect massive fluctuations in these surveys until the fully autonomous technology becomes commercially available.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]