Attitudes and concerns on automated vehicles

Abstract

People’s mindset and attitudes exert a strong influence on how quickly a new technology is adopted, thus also affecting how well the benefits resulting from automated vehicles can be realised. In previous studies on people’s attitudes towards automated vehicles, the number of respondents surveyed has been small, or alternatively survey’s sample has not been representative. By describing the results of a large citizen survey (N = 2036), this study aims to fill this identified research gap and to reveal, whether people are ready for automated vehicles and what concerns people have that hinder the adoption of these vehicles. The study’s results indicate that people’s attitudes towards automated vehicles reflect the general adoption of technology well. We can assume that those who currently view automated vehicles positively are most likely to belong in the group of early adopters. We found that men, highly educated individuals, people living in densely populated area and those living in households without a car had a more positive attitude to automated vehicles than the other respondents did. The results indicate that traffic safety and ethical perspectives have a key role in the acceptance of automated vehicles. Developers of automated vehicles should also take into account the finding that currently most people consider that all automated vehicles must have the option of manual drive.