Less than a third of UK motorists want a driverless car

With more and more Silicon Valley tech giants jumping into the autonomous car business, analysts predict that it is only matter of time before the human element goes out of the window, and all our commuting duties are taken over wholesale by sophisticated computer systems. But are we really ready for it?

A new survey conducted by insurance experts Bobatoo suggests they aren’t, at least for now. Of the 911 UK motorists that took part in the poll, only a quarter (25.8%) of them are ‘excited’ about the prospect of self-driving cars taking to UK roads. The majority of respondents are either ‘Not bothered’ or ‘Concerned’ about driverless cars, and for those that are concerned the issue is well and truly about safety.

The reason they gave is something tech analysts have been battling with ever since the rise of computers and GPS-based navigation systems of cars: that of safety. Many respondents feel that they can’t trust self-driving cars to keep them safe, with the risk of malfunction a common concern.

One respondent managed to sum up the feelings of those who are concerned about self-driving cars, saying: “Given how often computers go wrong I am concerned that something controlling a car (which is a lethal weapon) could go wrong. I’d want to know how they plan to have it fail safely.”

This concern means that less than a third of UK motorists would choose a self-driving car over their current car.

Just 27.7% answered that they would prefer to have a driverless car. Almost half of UK drivers (48%) said they definitely would not choose a self-driving car over their current car, and the remaining 24.3% are still not sure.

Revealing the results of the survey, a spokesman for Bobatoo.co.uk said: “It is clear from these findings that vehicle manufacturers still have a long way to go to convince UK drivers that self-driving cars are a safe and viable alternative to current ‘manual’ cars.

“The vast majority of UK motorists are simply not convinced with the prospect of self-driving cars, and would understandably have reservations about trusting them with their family’s health and wellbeing.”

So yes, while Google X and Apple (Project Titan) are hard at work creating and perfecting the self-driving car, they will have their work cut out for them once it reaches the streets. Only time will tell.

You can see the full results of the Bobatoo survey over here.