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American Women Less Comfortable with Self-Driving Vehicles than Men, Study Finds

The increased chatter about autonomous vehicles (AV) means only one thing: sooner or later, self-driving cars will become a reality. As with any new technology, some inherent resistance exists, even if it is not backed by reliable data.
IPSOS study on self-driving cars percerption among Americans 15 photos
Photo: IPSOS/Reuters
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A new study conducted by research company Ipsos at the request of Reuters found that the majority of Americans don't trust an artificial brain to make all the driving decision on their behalf. More precisely, two-thirds of them are entirely uncomfortable with the idea of riding a thinking car.

The poll was conducted between January 11 and January 18, 2018, on 2,592 participants. Overall, 67% of them said they feel uncomfortable with the idea of riding in an entirely self-driving car. The percentage of males who think that way is lower than the overall, 55%, while the percentage of women is much higher, 77%.

As far as age groups go, the group that is most comfortable with the idea is that of the Millenials (born between 1982-2004), only 55% of them having said they would loath the idea. Generation X, born between 1965 and 1982 are a bit more skeptical (63%). The group that is the most against self-driving vehicles is that of the Baby Boomer generation, people born between 1946-1964.

Regardless of the results of the study, research made by car manufacturers into autonomous vehicles advances at an incredible pace. According to a study by auditing firm KPMG, there are several reasons why it would be preferable that autonomous cars are developed and adopted as soon as possible.

First, autonomous cars could help save at least one million lives each year, lost to car accidents. KPMG estimates that 90 to 95 percent of car crashes which occur on public roads each year are caused by human error. Once that factor is taken out of the equation, car crashes should diminish drastically, saving at the same time millions, if not billions of dollars in car repairs.

Secondly, AVs could help those who are unable to drive, like the elderly or physically impaired move easier from place to place. AVs can also be used in remote areas where there is no public transport, or by those who don't have a car of their own.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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