Most people in Pennsylvania are likely to agree that the ability to improve safety on the road would be something they are interested in. However, just what form that improved safety comes in may not be something that just anyone is actually interested in or willing to embrace. Autonomous vehicles are one innovation that has been touted to have the ability to reduce accidents, thereby improving safety yet it seems that most consumers are not ready to hand over control of their vehicles just yet.
As explained by Auto Service World, there are multiple levels of autonomy in what are collectively referred to as autonomous vehicles or vehicles with autonomous driving technologies. A Level 5 vehicle is 100-percent self-driving and offers the humans inside no opportunity to take control. A Level 4 vehicle also has the ability to be completely self-driving yet does allow a human to assume control of the vehicle. The amount of autonomy goes down with each Level.
Results of a 2018 Cox Automotive Evolution of Mobility Study: Autonomous Vehicles show that two years ago, more people were ready to trust and accept fully autonomous vehicles than today. Today, the preferred level of autonomy in a vehicle among consumers is a Level 2. In 2016, it was a Level 4. The study also found that 49 percent of respondents indicated that they would never trust or purchase a Level 5 vehicle.
Only 16 percent of the study’s respondents said they would be willing to ride in a Level 5 vehicle. The remaining 84 percent said they were amenable to a vehicle that provided them the option to have control.