Despite Hype, Study Says We’re Not Ready for Driverless Cars
It seems every time we turn around, there's another tech article about how much progress is being made on driverless cars, and similar robotic technology.
Some tech experts predict within 20 years we'll have hundreds of them on the road. Well, hold on there.
A new Gallup Poll reported by The Hill online says over half of Americans are not comfortable with the idea of riding in a car with no carbon based life unit behind the wheel.
59% percent say they are uncomfortable with the idea, 54% say they are unlikely to use one, while only 25% percent said they would definitely utilize one.
In addition, 62% said they are not OK with the idea of driving on roads they know are shared with such vehicles. Last year the House passed a bill called the Self Driver Act, which is supposed to spur driverless technologies. But a similar bill hit a 'roadblock' in the Senate.
The poll was conducted last fall, and surveyed nearly 4,000 people. Seemingly regular reports of crashes involving driverless cars hasn't helped people get used to the technology. Here's a list of incidents involving such cars, dating back to 2013. It includes a well publicized fatality involving a Tesla self-driving vehicle. Google admits at least 11 accidents involving their self-driving cars since they began road testing the technology.