Three in Four Consumers Excited About Driverless Cars

Ladies and gentleman: Start your engines for autonomous driving.

According to a recent report, the vast majority of consumers (three in four) are excited about the many benefits driverless vehicles can offer, and almost two-thirds want to swap their current cars for completely self-driving vehicles.

The report, prepared by  Consumer Technology Association (CTA) — entitled Self-Driving Vehicles: Consumer Sentiments — also finds almost all drivers (93 percent) who use existing driver-assist features such as parking assist, adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance appreciate the usefulness of these driving technology innovations.

“Clearly, drivers are getting more and more excited about everything that driverless cars will offer us – 90 percent fewer U.S. traffic accidents, 40 percent lower insurance costs, the end of drunk driving accidents and newfound freedom for seniors and people with disabilities,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA.

He added: “The broad adoption of self-driving vehicles will save tens of thousands of lives each year in the U.S. alone, and deliver a level of independence and mobility that seniors and people with disabilities couldn’t otherwise dream of enjoying.”

According to the CTA research, the popularity of driver-assist technology already available to consumers is sky-high. Almost all consumers (96 percent) like or love automatic parking-assist capabilities, and 94 percent feel the same about collision avoidance systems.

Perhaps most indicative of this sector’s potential, half of all non-users want to upgrade to driver-assist technologies. Additionally, data alert systems enjoy immense consumer support – 97 percent of consumers are satisfied with their navigation assistance technology, and 94 percent like or love car maintenance alerts.

The CTA study also shows consumers are excited about self-driving technology’s ability to:

* Reduce accidents caused by aggressive driving or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (82 percent)
* Provide monetary savings on car insurance (80 percent)
* Prevent up to 90 percent of driving-related accidents and injuries on U.S. roads (79 percent)
* Offer new mobility options to people with disabilities (78 percent)

In addition to the 62 percent of consumers who are interested in replacing their current cars or trucks with completely self-driving vehicles, CTA research finds 70 percent of consumers have a strong interest in testing a driverless car for themselves.

Tags: autonomous driving, driverless cars

Category: Featured