Aggressive drivers want to take advantage of driverless cars
Aggressive drivers want to take advantage of driverless cars
Aggressive drivers are excited for the outbreak of autonomous cars on public roads, seeing it as a way to bully computers that err on the side of caution, according to new research.
The London School of Economics and Goodyear conducted one of the largest surveys to gauge attitudes towards autonomous cars, with 12,000 drivers in 11 countries polled.
See Also: Most Americans say they’re ready for an autonomous future
One of the key findings was aggressive drivers expect autonomous cars to try and accommodate all types of drivers. In a situation where the self-driving system is unsure of the outcome, drivers expect Google, Uber, and Tesla to build systems that avoid accidents at all costs.
“I’ll be overtaking all the time because they’ll be sticking to the rules,” said one driver in the survey. “They are going to stop. So you’re going to mug them right off. They’re going to stop and you’re just going to nip round,” said another.
Across Europe, U.K. drivers have the most negative view of autonomous cars, according to the survey. 55 percent of U.K. drivers said they were uncomfortable sharing the road with an autonomous car, and 83 percent were concerned the car might malfunction.
That’s higher than the average for non-U.K. nations polled, at 39 and 71 percent, respectively.
Driverless tech still looking for on ramp anyway
Autonomous cars are still an emerging technology that is only available on certain public roads, in certain cities. The U.K. and Germany are leading the race in Europe, followed by France, which recently endorsed some autonomous car tests on public roads.
Outside of Europe, the U.S., Singapore, and China are the main hubs for self-driving tests. Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba are all funding tests, either directly or through startups.
In Singapore, nuTonomy, a MIT spin-out, has begun shuttle tests, with a goal of launching the service in 2018.
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