After waves of recalls, investigations and controversies, the vast majority of consumers aren’t convinced by autonomous vehicles.
A new survey from Forbes Advisor and OnePoll found that 93% of U.S. consumers have concerns about some aspect of self-driving cars.
Most consumers cited “safety” and “technology malfunctions” as their main concerns. Other concerns included “hacking risks,” privacy and cost.
Most consumers say they don’t like self-driving cars, with more than 67% of respondents expressing a negative view of the technology. Asked how autonomous vehicles make them feel, “skepticism” and “concern” topped the list with 27% and 18%, respectively, with others saying the vehicles make them feel “afraid” or bored.
Predictably, the overall negative perception of self-driving cars makes buying one a big ask for consumers. According to the study, 51% of respondents say they are unlikely to own or use an autonomous vehicle in the next five years, with 31% saying it was likely and 19% saying they were unsure.
The study predicts that the autonomous vehicle market will slow in the next five years unless public perception shifts dramatically.
The survey comes after a particularly tough year for self-driving cars. Most recently, the autonomous taxi start-up Cruise effectively shut its doors late last year after a video of a viral collision led to California revoking the company’s ability to operate in the state.
Tesla, the automotive company most associated with self-driving technology, had a comparably tough year. The company recalled nearly all of its autonomous vehicles after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that Tesla’s autopilot mode was engaged in nearly 1,000 accidents.
According to the NHTSA, self-driving cars are more than twice as likely as traditional vehicles to be involved in an automotive accident. There is an average of 4.2 crashes per 1 million miles driven by cars with human operators, but 9.1 crashes in cars with autonomous drivers.
The study interviewed 2,000 U.S. consumers in January, with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 points with 95% confidence.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.