The majority of Americans believe self-driving cars will not improve conditions on the road, according to a recent poll from Vox/Morning Consult.
In an article posted on Monday, Vox revealed that 48 percent of people think self-driving cars will not improve the driving experience. Meanwhile, 32 percent believe that the road will be a better place without human hands on the wheel.
The survey included 2,102 respondents, all registered voters from the United States, aged from 18 to over 65.
Just 35 percent of total respondents believe that self-driving cars will reduce accidents and auto-related fatalities, while 46 percent do not. In total, 30 percent of respondents from all age groups said they would support banning human drivers entirely if self-driving vehicles are conclusively shown to be safer on the road.
It’s interesting to note that 78 percent of respondents don’t use ride-sharing services at all, 52 of which say it is because they are usually in circumstances in which it is easier to drive their own cars instead.
Nearly 40,000 people lose their lives in car crashes per year, many of which take place because the driver is impaired or tired. Other concerns about self-driving cars surround the economic effects – some 53 percent of people say that self-driving cars will take jobs away.
The majority of respondents don’t actually use ride-sharing. In total, 78 percent said they never use it, and 65 percent never use taxis. The numbers are slightly more significant when it comes to using these services under once a month, perhaps for business trips – 21 percent use a taxi a few times per year, compared to 9 percent who said they use a ridesharing service a few times per year.
The poll shows an audience that is generally skeptical, but also becoming more comfortable with the idea of self-driving cars. Older people are more likely to be skeptical about self-driving cars, and are also less likely to use ride-hailing services. Unsurprisingly, Millennials were mostly open to self-driving cars and ride-sharing.
Complete results from the poll can be found here.
