Four out of ten Brits do not trust the new driver-less car technology with their safety, new research claims.
According to a recent poll of 953 UK adults conducted by price comparison site uSwitch.com, 43 per cent of respondents do not trust a car to drive safely without a driver to ensure the safety of passengers, other drivers or pedestrians.
While, a further 16 per cent said they were ‘horrified’ by the entire concept of a car not having a human driver at the helm.
The respondents were also unsure of who would be held liable for accidents between a human driver and automated car. While one-third of them believed there should be joint responsibility between the AI car owner and a human driver; a quarter of the respondents felt the autonomous car manufacturer should be held liable alone, and eighteen per cent claimed passengers inside the autonomous vehicle should be held responsible.
Furthermore, as result of lack of clarity in AI car crash accountability, 35 percent of the respondents expected the introduction of driver-less cars could drive up insurance premiums. Only eight per cent of them believed the contrary.
The research found that a fifth of respondents believed automation could ease up traffic jams. A further 18 per cent said they were ‘excited’ to see the cars in action in the coming years.
Rod Jones, insurance administrator at uSwitch.com, said “We may be years away from driver-less cars outnumbering traditional vehicles on British roads, but it’s clear motorists are already questioning the impact they will have on their lives. With human error accounting for around 90 per cent of road accidents, the potential safety benefits of driver-less cars are significant and they should have a positive impact on car insurance premiums.
“However, confusion is still widespread and it will be vital for the government and the insurance industry to clarify the issue of liability over the coming months if driver-less technology is to receive the widespread public support it deserves.”
The driver-less car project was recently launched at Greenwich, which is one of the areas where the three-year trials will take place. Bristol, Coventry in the West Midlands and Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire are some of the other test areas.
