Trust in self-driving vehicles falls after accidents like ones in Arizona

PHOENIX — Confidence in self-driving vehicles fell in the wake of recent accidents, including one in which a woman was hit and killed in Tempe, according to a new survey of American drivers.

Triple-A said 73 percent of those asked recently would be too afraid to ride in a fully autonomous car, up from 63 percent in a January poll of the same question.

Michelle Donati, a spokeswoman for the automobile club, said the results were important because consumer confidence will play an important role in the adoption of self-driving technology, which has the potential to save thousands of lives by taking human error out of the equation.

“Despite their potential to make roads safer in the long run, this poll has showed us that consumers have very high expectations when it comes to safety for these vehicles and that any incident involving one of these vehicles is likely to shake consumer trust, which is a very critical component to the widespread acceptance of this technology on our roadways,” Donati told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

According to the new survey, 64 percent of millennials said they wouldn’t ride in one of the vehicles, up from 49 percent, the largest increase of any generation.

“Perhaps one of the most surprising findings is that millennials, which was the group that has been quickest to embrace these technologies, were most impacted by these incidents,” Donati said.

The most high-profile incident occurred in March when an Uber SUV operating in autonomous mode, with an employee in the driver’s seat, struck and killed a woman on Mill Avenue near Curry Road.

Uber shut down self-driving vehicle testing in metro Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; San Francisco and Toronto shortly after the crash, and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey suspended the ride-sharing company from testing the vehicles in the state.

Another company testing the technology in Arizona saw one of its self-driving minivans get hit in Chandler earlier this month. Police determined the Waymo vehicle was not responsible for that accident.

Several semi-autonomous cars sold by Tesla with an autopilot feature also have been in crashes.

Donati said a pilot program in Las Vegas has had helped change attitudes about autonomous vehicles. Riders of a free, driverless shuttle showed a 30 percent increase in positive sentiment toward the technology.

“When we can demonstrate to the public and explain how the technology works and how it benefits them, it really makes all the difference in how people feel about the future of potential self-driving cars,” Donati said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mark Carlson contributed to this report.

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