Self-driving cars a NO' for Americans: Poll

Around two-thirds of Americans are uncomfortable about the idea of riding in self-driving cars. A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll was a determinant of this conclusion. This result comes in the wake of US spending millions of dollars to develop this kind of a technology and launch it on a super large scale.  

While 27 per cent of respondents said they would feel comfortable riding in a self-driving car, poll data indicated that most people were far more trusting of humans than robots and artificial intelligence under a variety of scenarios.

While men were generally found to be more comfortable than women about using self-driving vehicles, the millennial were more comfortable than baby boomers.

Among men, 55 per cent said they would not feel comfortable riding in a self-driving car. And among women, 77 per cent women didn’t want to ride a self-driving car.

Companies testing the vehicles in the United States and elsewhere have provided limited public access so far. Automotive and technology industry executives are pushing US lawmakers to pass legislation that would loosen restrictions on testing and deploying self-driving cars. However, the legislation is currently stalled in the Senate.

In the meantime, companies from General Motors Co to Alphabet Inc’s Waymo are planning to deploy the first wave of self-driving vehicles over the next three years.

Industry officials and analysts have said providing convincing reassurances about safety is an urgent task for advocates of autonomous vehicle technology.