Ready to let the EV drive you?

You hear more frequently about the coming age of autonomous transport.

But are people ready to adopt driverless vehicles, do they trust their safety, and would they use autonomous public transport?

These are among questions asked of Americans in a ReportLinker survey.

The results are interesting, and have changed somewhat since surveys on the subject in July and last year.

There were 605 online respondents to the latest survey on September 15, and only those with driver licences were qualified to answer.

The survey found 53% of respondents would consider buying an autonomous vehicle for their next car purchase.

Yet more than 70% say they love driving themselves, although there’s a drop in daily use with 75% saying they drive daily compared with 83% last year.

Automation is slowly finding its way into American cars as more than 50% say their vehicles have automatic cruise control and 36% have cameras with rear or side views.

Women are more likely than men to buy one, at 59% of responses.

Safety issues still concern many though.

About 67% of respondents say they would not feel safe in a self-driving car – women especially wary with 73% saying they are worried about their safety.

Tesla is the top brand mentioned when asked about automated vehicles with 16% of mentions, followed by Ford (7%), Google (6%), Chevrolet (6%) and Toyota (5%).

About 30% now say technology firms are likely to lead the way, about the same percentage that named traditional car companies as leaders last year.

Doubt exists around autonomous public transportation.

About 59% of respondents say they don’t think automated public transportation will happen in the future.

In fact, interest in using self-driving buses or taxis dropped to 33% compared to 42% last September.

However, the surveys overall show many Americans are willing to overcome their reluctance around autonomous vehicles if their concerns can be alleviated.