AAA: Majority of motorists afraid of self-driving cars

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — New vehicle technology has become a major topic among American motorists.

According to a new AAA survey, three out of four U.S. motorists are afraid to ride in a self-driving car. Motorists feel the technology is too new. In spite of this fear, AAA found that motorists who own vehicles with semi-autonomous features are 75 percent more likely to trust the technology then those who don’t own it.

AAA’s survey revealed 61 percent of American motorists want at least one of the following technologies on their next vehicle: automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, self-parking technology or lane keeping assist. The survey also revealed motorists who desire these features on their next vehicle attributes this to safety (84 percent), followed by convenience (64 percent), reducing stress (46 percent) and wanting the latest technology (30 percent).

• Baby boomers are more likely to cite safety as a reason they want semi-autonomous features on their next vehican Millennials (78 percent).

• Millennials are more likely to cite convenience (75 percent) and wanting the latest technology (36 percent) compared to older generations.

• Women (50 percent) are more likely to cite reducing stress as a reason for wanting the technology than men (42 percent)

AAA’s survey also offered insights as to why some motorists are reluctant to purchase advanced vehicle technology. Most trust their driving skills more than the technology (84 percent), followed by feeling the technology is to new and unproven (60 percent), followed by not wanting to pay extra for it (57 percent) and then finally finding it annoying (45 percent).

• Millennials (63 percent) and Gen-Xers (62 percent) are more likely to cite not wanting to pay extra for semi-autonomous technology, compared to Baby Boomers (49 percent).

• One-in-four female drivers (23 percent) cite feeling the technology is too complicated to use as a reason for not wanting the technology in their next vehicle, compared to 12 percent of male drivers.

Key Findings:

Sixty-one percent of U.S. motorists want at least one semi-autonomous vehicle technology in their next vehicle.

• Millennial drivers are most likely to want self-parking technology in their next vehicle (33 percent), compared to Gen-Xers (20 percent) or Baby Boomers (22 percent).

• Millennials are most likely to want adaptive cruise control on their next vehicle (45 percent) compared to Gen-Xers (37 percent) or Baby Boomer (34%).

• Men are more likely to want automatic emergency braking on their next vehicle (42 percent) than women 35 percent).