► Worldwide poll covers autonomous vehicle safety
► Shows self-driving cars have a PR battle to win
► No country with a majority in favour
Nearly three-quarters of the world’s population would not feel ‘safe’ in a self-driving car. This is according to a new global survey by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, which polled 125,000 people in 121 countries. Suggesting a rather thorough result.
In total, only 27 per cent of responders to the 2021 Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll – ‘powered by Gallup’, no less – said that they would feel safe in a car without a driver. And although the response varied with level of education, no country that formed part of the result showed a majority in favour of autonomous driving technology.
Aren’t autonomous cars supposed to be safer – isn’t that the whole point?
That’s the theory. The artificial intelligence of self-driving tech has always been touted as a route towards greater road safety, with the removal of the unpredictable element – the human driver – expected to reduce crashes and other on-road errors.
The trouble is, even a majority of well-educated people with access to the internet, both markers that separately promote acceptance of the safety of high technology, expressed misgivings about trusting autonomous vehicles.
According to the Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Dr Sarah Cumbers: ‘The results from the latest World Risk Poll indicate significant trust issues with perceptions of the safety of self-driving vehicles. Despite technological advancements and anticipated safety benefits, there is still much work to be done – both in terms of regulation, and in working with communities to ensure that the public have confidence in these vehicles.’
Where are self-driving cars most acceptable right now?
In Denmark, 45 per cent of people surveyed said they would feel safe in a self-driving car – the highest level of any country. This was followed by 44 per cent of people in the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan.
The least trusting countries were Indonesia (8.4 percent), Zambia (11.2 per cent) and Gabon 11.3 per cent).
As for the UK, only 31 per cent said they would feel safe without a human driver.
If you’re interested, the full 2021 World Risk Report is available online.