How the older population perceives self-driving vehicles

Abstract

Self-driving vehicles (SAE Level 5) are driven by automated vehicle technology and without any human driver input. These vehicles will especially be helpful to people who cannot drive, whether for medical- or age-related reasons. Since the current population of older Americans is the largest it has ever been, it is important to study transportation needs for older population and the potential of self-driving vehicles to solve their mobility problems. This study investigated older adults’ (aged 60 and over) perception of self-driving vehicles from the perspective of users and pedestrians. Five factors were measured to assess older adults’ perception including attitude, perceived usefulness, social norm, trust, and compatibility. Older adults’ willingness to use a self-driving vehicle, defined as acceptance, was also assessed. Data collection (N = 173) was done using an online survey approach. The results show that older adults perceive self-driving vehicles with positive attitude, perceived usefulness, trust, social norm, and acceptance as users. However, as pedestrians, the perception was either neutral or negative, except for the positive perceived usefulness. The results also revealed that if the older adults are familiar with self-driving vehicles, they are more likely to have a favorable perception of them. These results indicate great potential for the adoption of self-driving vehicles by older adults. However, they also raise concern about the interaction between older pedestrians and self-driving vehicles. The findings of this study will be helpful to developers in designing vehicles that meet the transportation needs of older adults and allow effective interaction between them and the vehicles.