Even as carmakers and tech companies make bold plans for an imminent autonomous future, consumers are greeting the notion of self-driving cars with trepidation. High levels of apprehension have been documented among prospective riders in recent years, and two recently released studies further underscore the uphill climb faced by companies with deployments on the horizon. The intended customers are not yet convinced that autonomous cars will be safe and trustworthy.
Fifty-five percent of respondents would not consider riding in a fully autonomous vehicle, according to new research released by global technology consulting firm Gartner. Worries about technology failures and security were some of the reasons cited by 1519 respondents in the United States and Germany who said they?d feel uncomfortable with the self-driving vehicles. ?Fear of autonomous vehicles getting confused by unexpected situations, safety concerns around equipment and systems failures, and vehicle and system security are top concerns around using fully automated vehicles,? said Mike Ramsey, research director at Gartner.

?

?Every one of the [study participants] said, ?You?ve changed my perception of this,? and it?s because we took the time to explain how the technology works.?

? Jack Weast, Intel

?

The research builds on an earlier study from AAA, the nation?s largest auto club, which found that 75 percent of Americans are afraid of riding in autonomous vehicles. That figure caused a healthy dose of...