Brits still wary of driverless cars

Despite their potentially mind-boggling capabilities, driverless cars have not yet won over the British public, a study suggests.

Apparently 56% of UK adults would not purchase a driverless car, while a quarter believe they will not be safe.

The study, by Churchill Car Insurance, shows that malfunction is the biggest fear among Brits questioned, with 60% believing that the on-board computer is likely to be unreliable.

Meanwhile, 56% of people questioned said they feared the lack of human control associated with driverless vehicles.

Almost a third said they feared cyber security issues such as hacking, with just 8% of respondents harbouring no fears about self-driving cars.

Steve Barrett, head of Churchill Car Insurance, said: “Driverless cars have a long way to go before they win people’s confidence.

“Education on issues such as safety standards, including computer ethics is needed, as well as a re-think on existing road rules and amendments to insurance regulation.

“It is still early days however, so a certain amount of scepticism around such a significant development is to be expected. It is also still too early to be able to assess the implications a fully driverless car will have on insurance.”

In all, only 27% of UK adults would consider buying a self-driving car in the future, according to the research.

Share this article