Abstract
Autonomous driving is a topic that generates great interest and social debate in the field of transport and road safety. Professionals working on vehicle technologies, telecommunications engineers, and vehicle manufacturers say it is an imminent reality and that autonomous vehicles will be available in the near future. But there are still many issues to be resolved and many challenges to overcome. However, the opinion of end users has not been explored very much so far. This study aims to investigate the beliefs and expectations of 138 Spanish driving students about autonomous driving, through an online questionnaire designed ad hoc. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were determined for appropriate demographic variables such as gender, age range, and study level, or employment status. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare how the students would feel if they used an autonomous vehicle, preference for using the autonomous vehicle in different situations, advantages and disadvantages of autonomous driving, and some concerns about autonomous driving by gender. Results showed that 77.5% of driving learners thought of an autonomous vehicle as a vehicle with a system that is able travel alone, but that the driver can drive manually at will; 39.9% thought that vehicles that do not need a driver are a very useful system; and 35, 5% believed that such cars would be available between 2017 and 2020, although 79% did not consider buying an autonomous vehicle. In the event of an accident, 50% of the students believed that the driver and the vehicle manufacturer should share the responsibility. Regarding preferences, 73.2% preferred to drive themselves rather than ride in an autonomous vehicle because driving is a pleasure for 51.4%, and they would only use it in case of alcohol, drug, or medicine consumption, or when fatigued, stressed, or in a monotonous driving situation. Public policies and manufacturers should take these results into consideration.
Highlights
Even though the number of accidents in Europe is decreasing (EC, 2016), the rate of progress has recently slowed down
The present study aims to explore beliefs and expectations about autonomous driving, in terms of usefulness, feasibility, perceived problems, use intention, responsibility in case of an accident, and perception of the training required, in a sample of Spanish driving learners who are currently obtaining their B driving licence
An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare how the students would feel if they used an autonomous vehicle, preference for using the autonomous vehicle in different situations, advantages and disadvantages of autonomous driving, and some concerns about autonomous driving by gender
Summary
Even though the number of accidents in Europe is decreasing (EC, 2016), the rate of progress has recently slowed down. According to WHO (2015), the total number of road traffic deaths worldwide has plateaued at 1.25 million per year, with the highest road traffic fatality rates in low-income countries. These figures justify the need to put effort into increasing road safety. Vehicle safety systems such as ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems) have evolved to reduce the numbers of deaths and injuries in urban areas and roads. According to European statistics, from 2001 to 2015, mortality was reduced to 28,900 deaths, largely due to innovations the automotive sector has added in terms of safety. Large investments are currently being made in technology and infrastructures
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
