Poll outlines public reluctance of driverless cars

55% of people are unlikely to want to be a passenger of a driverless car

A new poll carried out by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers has found that the majority of people would be reluctant to be a passenger in a driverless car.

The study of 2002 people carried out by ICM Unlimited on behalf of the IMechE found that 55% of people are unlikely to want to be a passenger of a driverless car, 40% of people are very unlikely to want to be a passenger and just 21% would be happy to ride in one.  

Estimates say that autonomous cars could be worth as much as £51 billion a year to the UK due to fewer accidents, improved productivity and increased trade. Furthermore, with 95% of all vehicle accidents being the result of human error, the industry is increasingly looking at this technology to help save lives.

UK government and companies such as Google, Ford and Uber are all championing driverless car technology, but according to this latest public survey much more work is needed to convince the public of the benefits of driverless vehicles.

Philippa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at the IMechE, said: “There is still a long way to go to increase public confidence in the effectiveness and safety benefits of driverless technology. 

“Many vehicles already feature driverless technology, such as a self-parking functionality and automatic braking, so public perceptions are likely to change over time. But if we truly want the UK to become a world leader of driverless vehicle technology we need to get the public on-side and championing the projects like Greenwich’s GATEway Project and the Lutz Pathfinder in Milton Keynes.”

Oldham added, “Government and industry must work together not only to better educate and inform the public about driverless car technology but to make sure that they are developing the products that the end users want.”