UK Drivers Want to Keep Holding the Steering Wheel
UK motorists remain cautious about autonomous driven vehicles saying they would not give up the steering wheel.
A survey of more than 2,000 drivers for auto insurance provider, InsuretheGap, finds that only 6% would feel safe travelling in a fully self-driving vehicle and 31% would only trust a driverless car if they could take over the controls. Even so, 28% think cars have too much technology in them already, rising to 33% of over 55s, compared to 20% of under 34s.
Similarly, 35% enjoy driving and don’t want a driverless car rising to 42% of over 55s. Just 10% would consider buying a driverless car in the future, broken down to 12% of men and 8% of women, rising to 14% of under 34s.
Ben Wooltorton, from InsuretheGap.com, said: “While there’s clearly pushback from drivers on increasing technology further in cars, there’s no going backwards. All new car models in the EU must now be fitted with Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), and we wait to see if the UK will follow suit. While only one in ten drivers in our survey felt driverless cars are a ‘great invention’ there are undoubtedly benefits, including always following the speed limit which should reduce car accidents for instance.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
