Americans don't trust self-driving cars, says US survey

LOS ANGELES: As self-driving cars take to the streets, widespread reluctance continues among US consumers to embrace the autonomous vehicle movement, according to new data.

A national survey by AAA released Tuesday found that six in 10 drivers report being afraid to ride in a self-driving car, and interest in the technology is down to 13% compared to 18% in 2022.

According to the January 2025 poll, more than half (53%) said they wouldn’t ride in a self-driving vehicle at all, with older consumers the least likely to trust the technology.

But drivers are in favour of autonomous tech that enhances vehicle safety systems, with features like automatic braking and lane assistance.

The number of drivers who trust the tech is slightly up from 9% last year to 13%, but 87% still expressed some scepticism, according to AAA’s data.

That could be bad news for companies rolling out their autonomous tech, such as Lyft, as well as Aurora and Kodiak Robotics, which offer autonomous tech for freight hauling.

Consumers in metro areas with more exposure to driverless vehicles may be more likely to trust them, according to AAA spokesman Daniel Armbruster, but safety is the biggest concern among vehicle operators.

“Drivers really are focused on the safety and practicality of vehicles, not so much the fact that it can drive itself,” Armbruster said. “... Consumers want to see current vehicle technology that works consistently and performs to the expectations set by manufacturers.”

Since more than 70% of crashes are caused by human behaviour, researchers hypothesize that moving toward automation will ultimately improve safety.

“Most of the studies that we’ve done and the data analytics we’ve looked at, there is a huge contribution of the driver to crashes,” said Samer Dessouky, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“If you take this human component out, you will help with a lot of aspects of these crashes, so the data suggests that this could lead to a better environment for safety.”

Major players in the automotive and freight spaces are betting on autonomous technology to transform long-haul trucking, since it would allow continuous hauling without rest breaks, reducing delivery time and costs. It could also help fill in the gaps of driver shortages.

But unions — and groups like the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety — have said the technology is being rushed to market without enough federal oversight.

“Overall, our stance is safety should never be compromised to hasten automated vehicle deployment,” AAA’s Armbruster said. “When we think about future federal legislation, it really should mandate safety assessments be issued before automated vehicles are tested on public roads.”

The technology still has a long way to go, Dessouky said, and the interplay between human drivers and autonomous vehicles will likely continue to be complex in the meantime.

In the meantime, customers who aren’t yet ready to embrace AVs will continue to have other options.

“In places where AVs already operate commercially, we’ve seen people’s confidence grow as they have more exposure to the technology,” Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin said in a statement.

“However, our hybrid network of AVs and human-operated vehicles will continue to have other options for riders to ensure they can get where they need to go based on their preferences.” - tca