Despite technology companies, car manufacturers, and even the American government investing heavily in autonomous vehicles and associated technologies, it appears a large portion of American drivers are nowhere near ready to cede control to cars that drive themselves.

According to a new survey of 1,800 drivers (PDF download) by AAA (the American Automobile Association, Inc.), three out of four U.S. drivers say they are “afraid” to ride in a self-driving car.

Despite the fact that a large part of the driving public is not ready to let go of the wheel, AAA found that drivers who already own vehicles with semi-autonomous features, like brake assist, lane departure warning systems, assistive steering, and others, are 75 percent more likely to trust the technology than those with no experience of the technology. This, says AAA, suggests that drivers could gradually get used to and learn to trust self-driving vehicles.

“With the rapid advancement towards autonomous vehicles, American drivers may be hesitant to give up full control,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair in a statement. “What Americans may not realize is that the building blocks towards self-driving cars are already in today’s vehicles and the technology is constantly improving and well-trusted by those who have experienced it.”

They may not be ready to give up all control, but the survey also found that 61 percent of American drivers want at least one of these semi-autonomous driving feature on their next car: adaptive cruise control; automatic emergency braking; lane departure warning and lane keep assist; or self-parking technology.

Drivers who want semi-autonomous features on their next car are primarily concerned about safety with 84 percent of respondents citing this as their motivation. Convenience (64 percent) and reducing stress behind the wheel (46 percent) are also big motivators.

Of those who have no interest in semi-autonomous vehicles, 84 percent trust their own driving skills more than the technology and 60 percent feel the technology is too new and still unproven.

They may have a point, at least where fully autonomous vehicles are concerned. The results of the survey come just one day after a report that one of Google’s self-driving cars was to blame for an accident involving a bus during a test drive on California roads.

Source: Consumerist

Image credit: Becky Stern, Flickr