AAA: More motorists fear riding in self-driving vehicles

More drivers this year are afraid of riding in a self-driving vehicle than last year, according to a new AAA survey.

Sixty-eight percent of drivers are afraid of riding in a self-driving vehicle, up from 55% in 2022, the poll found. AAA said it’s also the largest annual increase in the survey since 2020.

“We did not expect such a dramatic shift in consumer concerns from previous years,” Adrienne Woodland, a spokeswoman for the auto club, said Thursday in a statement. “Though it isn’t entirely surprising, given the number of high-profile crashes that have recently occurred from over-reliance on current vehicle technologies.”

The study also found there are a lot of misconceptions about automated vehicles. Nearly one in ten drivers believe they can buy a vehicle that drives itself while they sleep – which isn’t true – according to its findings.

AAA said the perception a car can drive itself while its operator is sleeping may stem from social media videos of motorists misusing driver assistance technology.

The survey also found that the names manufacturers have given their vehicle systems confuse consumers. Twenty-two percent of Americans expect driver support systems with names such as Autopilot, ProPILOT or Pilot Assist can drive a car by itself without any supervision.

“Most new vehicles are equipped with some level of advanced driver assistance technology, which can enhance the safety of motorists if used properly,” Woodland said. “However, it’s important to clarify that there are currently no vehicles available for purchase that allow someone to fully disengage from the task of driving.”

Still, the poll said American consumers are not completely against advanced vehicle technology. Six in ten drivers said they would “definitely” or “probably” want things like blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking in their next car purchase.

AAA said its survey was conducted online and over the phone from Jan. 13-17, 2023, with a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the overall U.S. household population. More than 1,100 interviews were done for the survey and 949 of them qualified for the study. The margin of error is 4.3%.