Some 44% of Americans said they would ride in a self-driving Uber vehicle today as compared with 35% who said they would never do so, according to a new survey from DriversEd.com.

While some consumers may be warming up to the idea of autonomous vehicles entering the mainstream, their acceptance is tempered with caution. For example, a whopping 87% of those surveyed said a licensed driver should always be behind the wheel of an AV in the event he or she needs to take control.

The public continues to express concerns about safety and self-driving cars, but they also indicate that the industry is moving in the right direction. 

The majority of those surveyed (67%) said they believe that one day AVs will be safer than human-operated cars.

Consumers reported mixed feelings about semi-autonomous technologies that are already on the road. Features like lane steer assist, automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and forward-collision warning are designed to make vehicles safer and mitigate crashes.

However, only 30% of survey respondents said they believe cruise control in cars makes the road safer as compared with 20% who believe the technology actually makes cars less safe.

The 2019 State of Self-Driving Cars Report is a first of its kind survey from DriversEd.com.