Most Americans Believe Self-Driving Cars Are Too Dangerous, According to Study

While the thought of self-driving cars is something you’d see out of a futuristic sci-fi movie, many major automakers are working diligently in the development of fully-automated vehicles that would be part of a new era for the automotive industry. While the idea is certainly progressive and altruistic, most Americans are not as confident in the implementation of this technology on roadways in its current state.

According to a study conducted by AAA, drivers that are afraid of self-driving cars rose from 55% in 2022 to 68% in 2023. This could be due to the number of accidents and potential dangers these automated systems many drivers believe they pose. Last year, San Francisco police made attempts to pull over a driverless taxi that made a traffic violation, and a separate video surfaced of a woman fully asleep behind the wheel of her Tesla that was using its self-driving mode.

“We were not expecting such a dramatic decline in trust from previous years,” said Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automotive research. “Although with the number of high-profile crashes that have occurred from over-reliance on current vehicle technologies, this isn’t entirely surprising.”

Results of the study also showed that 22% of Americans expect future vehicles to come equipped with automated driver support systems that will be fully effective and reliable on the road without any supervision. This also means that automakers intend on making greater advancements in this driving technology in order to earn the faith of other drivers.