U.S. Drivers Warming Up to Fully-Autonomous Cars

Drivers in the U.S. are beginning to embrace autonomous vehicles, with the percentage of American drivers afraid to ride in self-driving vehicles dropping significantly from a previous report by AAA.

The annual survey from AAA found that 63% of drivers in the U.S. report feeling afraid to ride in fully-autonomous vehicles, which is a decrease from the 78% reported in early 2017, according to AAA. Male drivers and millennials are the most trusting of self-driving technology; only half reported being afraid of the technology. The study found that 52% of men would be afraid to ride in a self-driving vehicle.

“Americans are starting to feel more comfortable with the idea of self-driving vehicles,” AAA Automotive Engineering and Industry Relations Director Greg Brannon said. “Compared to just a year ago, AAA found that 20 million more U.S. drivers would trust a self-driving vehicle to take them for a ride.”

Meanwhile, 13% of U.S. Drivers said they would feel safer sharing the road with autonomous vehicles, and 46% reported said they would feel less safe. For the remainder, 37% said they are indifferent to the technology and 4% are unsure with how they feel.

In the recent survey, 73% of women said they are afraid to ride in a self-driving vehicle, and more likely to feel less safe sharing the road with autonomous vehicles.

Millennials are the most trusting of self-driving vehicles, with only 49% reporting that they would be afraid to ride in self-driving vehicles, down from the previously reported 73%, according to a report from AAA. About 68% of baby boomers still report being afraid to ride in autonomous vehicles. The generation is significantly more comfortable with the idea than they were a year ago, when 85% reported being afraid.

The study also found that Generation X drivers are more likely than millennial drivers to feel less safe sharing the road with autonomous vehicles.