Most Americans fear self-driving cars, AAA study says

According to foreign media CNET, although there are no fully self-driving cars on the US market, the American public still expresses concerns about self-driving cars. This is the conclusion of a new study released by the American Automobile Association (AAA) on Thursday, in which 71% of respondents said they were afraid to ride in a self-driving car.

AAA began surveying the public about attitudes toward self-driving cars in 2016. The latest results match up with an April 2018 study that found 73% of respondents said they were "scared" of the technology. However, the AAA study did not directly reveal why people are afraid of self-driving cars.

“It’s hard to say, but the continued level of fear could stem from concern about accidents involving these types of vehicles, both good and bad, or it could simply be a fear of the unknown,” Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automated driving engineering, said in a statement.

Indeed, an earlier AAA survey in 2017 found that Americans were more optimistic about self-driving cars — but the association believes that accidents since then, such as the fatal accident involving an Uber self-driving car in Arizona, have made people more afraid of the dangers.

However, AAA found that Americans are willing to slowly start accepting self-driving cars. While only 19% said they would let their children or loved ones ride in a fully self-driving car, 44% said they would be comfortable with a self-driving food or package delivery vehicle. And 53% said they would be "comfortable" with a shuttle to an airport or theme park.

Meanwhile, research from the American Automobile Association found that 55% of drivers surveyed believed that "most cars will be able to drive themselves by 2029."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.