Consumer Comfort with Vehicle Automation: Changes Over Time
DOI: 10.17077/drivingassessment.1726
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Summary
This study investigates the evolution of consumer comfort and acceptance regarding vehicle automation, specifically addressing how perceptions of self-driving technology changed between 2016 and 2018. Motivated by the potential of automated vehicles to reduce driver-error-related crashes and the observed decline in consumer trust following high-profile incidents, the research aims to determine if acceptance trends have shifted, how age influences these attitudes, and what conditions affect willingness to use such technology. The researchers conducted an online survey administered via Qualtrics from March to April 2018, recruiting participants through online posts and an automotive manufacturer’s consumer panel. Of the 4,116 completed surveys, 3,505 responses were retained for analysis after excluding non-US residents and those with older vehicles. The sample was skewed toward older, male, high-income, and highly educated individuals. The instrument assessed demographics, vehicle ownership, maximum comfort levels with five tiers of automation (from "no automation" to "full self-driving"), and willingness to use self-driving cars under specific scenarios. Data were compared against previous surveys from 2016 and 2017, with samples adjusted to US Census distributions to control for demographic shifts. Results indicated a polarizing trend in consumer preferences. While the majority remained most comfortable with "driver assist" features where the human retains control, acceptance of "full self-driving" automation increased in 2018 compared to 2017, recovering from a previous decline. This recovery was most pronounced among adults aged 25–44, whereas acceptance continued to drop for other age groups, particularly those over 75. Simultaneously, the percentage of respondents preferring "no automation" or "emergency only" features also increased, suggesting a divergence in attitudes. Willingness to use self-driving vehicles was conditional: only 40.1% were initially willing, but this rose to 64.9% when respondents were assured the vehicle was as safe as they were, and 58.4% when they considered scenarios where they could no longer drive manually. Additionally, nearly half of the respondents incorrectly believed fully self-driving cars were currently available for purchase, and many conflated consumer-level driver assistance with true automation. The findings suggest that consumer acceptance is heavily influenced by perceived safety and personal driving ability, with significant confusion regarding the current state of the technology. The polarization in preferences and the widespread misunderstanding of automation levels highlight a disconnect between public expectation and technological reality. The authors conclude that improved messaging and consumer education are necessary to calibrate expectations and address the distrust stemming from over-hyped promises of near-term full automation.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-19 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| enrich | success | openalex | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-19 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-20 |
| verify | partial | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified_with_issues.
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- Empirical Findings: self report data, observational prevalence