Motorists sceptical of driverless timescales - poll

10/07/2017 |

It's reported motorists have doubts about whether driverless car technology is likely to become commonplace in 20 years' time, and many would rather see the Government focusing more time and effort on sorting out the country's roads in preparation for them.

The Government has allocated £69m to developing connected and autonomous vehicles as it is keen to give the UK the best chance of being at the forefront of this technology race.

Research conducted with 2,194 members of the RAC Opinion Panel shows that only 5% of motorists think the Government should be prioritising financial support for the development of driverless vehicle technology in the current economic climate, though a further 17% support investment in this area but don't see it as an immediate priority.

Four in 10 (39%) would prefer to see the funds redirected to improving the existing road infrastructure and a further quarter (27%) claim the money would be better spent on what they regard as more pressing needs such as health and education.

Motorists are sceptical about whether the technology will become a reality with four in 10 (40%) believing the chances of there being one million driverless vehicles on the UK's roads by 2037 to be 'a bit pie in the sky' and that it will actually take far longer for that number of driverless cars to appear on the UK's roads.

It adds that just under a third (31%) think there is an outside chance the numbers could reach that level in 20 years whereas a cynical 17% believe they won't live long enough to see one million driverless cars on the UK's roads. Only one in 10 (12%), however, are optimistic that it will happen.

The survey suggests the biggest concern among motorists about driverless cars is unequivocally the reliability of the software controlling the vehicle with almost half (46%) of those surveyed by the RAC identifying this as their top concern. For more than a quarter (27%), the thought of losing personal control over their vehicles was top of the list, and a further 10% ranked the fear of cyber-attacks leading to remote theft or corruption of data as their number-one concern.

There was an expectation from around a third (31%) of respondents that the biggest benefit of autonomous vehicles would come from making journeys safer by eradicating driver error. The next two on the ranking list of predicted greatest positives ' both on 16% ' were the environment benefits brought about by reducing emissions and optimising fuel economy, and a reduction in stress and incidents of driver conflict such as road rage.

There was also broad agreement about the journey towards driverless vehicles being a gradual one ' 'evolution rather than revolution'. Two in five motorists (39%) believe manufacturers will progressively introduce more and more semi-autonomous features over time so there will not be a step change in safety benefits when full autonomy is finally achieved.

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said, 'Very understandably motorists have a range of questions and concerns about driverless cars. There is clearly some widespread scepticism about the technology becoming prevalent and some concerns over reliability which are no doubt based on motorists' everyday experiences of computers and the lack of resilience of the software they use.

'Finding out that around half of motorists would rather see the money the Government has allocated to encourage the development of driverless cars used to improve the condition of the roads they drive on is perhaps not a great surprise. But the £69 million allocated for driverless car support is very small when compared to the funding made available annually for the maintenance of both the strategic and local road networks.'

Despite a degree of scepticism about fully autonomous vehicles, motorists remain enthusiastic about the driver assistance technologies that are available today. Nearly half (45%) of drivers surveyed said they were attracted by adaptive cruise control ' technology that automatically brakes and accelerates the vehicle when trying to maintain a pre-set cruising speed to take account of other traffic slowing or speeding up. More than a third (36%) liked self-parking systems that carry out manoeuvres such as parallel parking autonomously and 34% were attracted by automatic emergency braking, a feature that many road safety campaigners, including the RAC, would like to see as standard on all new vehicles.

To date the Government has launched a £30 million Intelligent Mobility Fund for research and development of innovative connected and autonomous vehicle technologies. It also awarded £20 million to a number of projects to ensure the UK is able to take advantage of the latest technological developments in driverless cars research. In addition, a £19 million fund was ring-fenced to pave the way for driverless car projects in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry. Additionally, the Government outlined proposals in the recent Queen's Speech on autonomous vehicle technology and the associated questions regarding liability.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Project Lead - Bridges and Structures WMF3037e

£45,718 to £46,731
We are currently seeking to recruit a Project Lead to join our Bridges and Structures team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Traffic Management Technician - WMF3040e

£27,711 - £28,624
Are you an organised and motivated individual who wants to make a difference to how our roads are managed? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2114e

£37,035 - £37,938
Are you an experienced and motivated professional looking to take the next step in your traffic management career? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Senior Transport Planner

£47,532 - £50,574
Royal Greenwich is a borough synonymous with first class modern services Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recruiter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Technician - Highway Inspector

Grade 8 £28,797 - £30,708 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
Within the Highways Maintenance Team we are looking for an enthusiastic, customer focused and experienced person to join the Service Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Project Delivery Senior Team Leader

£74,480 - £85,964
Are you an experienced Chartered Civil Engineer (or equivalent professional qualification) Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Assistant Traffic Management Technician - WMF2104e

£25,584 - £25,992
Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking an organised and enthusiastic individual to join our South Lakeland team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Bulky Operative

£25,584.00 - £27,269.00, Grade 5, 37 hours, Permanent.
An opportunity exists in the Council’s Street Scene Services for a Bulky Operative Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Wakefield Council

Project Delivery Team Leader

£57,710 - £71,842
Are you an experienced Chartered Civil Engineer (or equivalent professional qualification). Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2102e

£37,035 - £37,938
This is a key role supporting the delivery a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Shared Service Manager (Waste) North Herts Council

£52000 - £61000 per annum
Shared Service Manager (Waste) North Herts CouncilNorth Herts CouncilPermanent, Full Time£52,866 - £61,866 per annum, plus car allowance (pay award pe England, Hertfordshire, Letchworth Garden City
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Street Scene Protection Officer - Braintree District Council

£30000 - £34000 per annum
Street Scene Protection Officer - Braintree District CouncilBraintree District CouncilPermanent, Full Time£30,313 to £34,612 per annumLocation
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2102e

£37,035 - £37,938
This is a key role supporting the delivery a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Assistant Traffic Management Technician - WMF2104e

£25,584 - £25,992
This is a key support role, helping to deliver a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes across South Lakeland. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Flood Risk Engineering and Strategy Officer

£49,764 - £55,623
In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce Coventry, West Midlands
Recruiter: Coventry City Council

Senior Integrated Transport Officer

£34,324 - £37,529
Are you an experienced transport planning professional ready to influence strategic policy and drive real change Matlock, Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Roadworker Trainee LGV Driver (3 Posts)

Grade 6 £25,183 - £25,638 per annum (Pay award pending)
We’re looking for Roadworker/trainee LGV drivers to be part of our team undertaking major highway, bridge and related construction and reconstruction Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Engineer

£44,430 - £51,663
This post is within the Highways Design and Delivery Team. London (Greater)
Recruiter: Tower Hamlets London Borough Council

Civil Enforcement Officer - WMF3013e

£27,711 -£28,624
Are you seeking an active and challenging role, part of a friendly and welcoming team? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

UGO Bus Driver

Up to £25081.00 per annum
UGO Bus DriverPermanent, Part TimeUp to £25,081 per annum (full time equivalent)Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW