Most Americans Fear Autonomous Vehicles, But Will They Make Roads Safer?

The Association for Safe International Road Travel reports that 2.35 million Americans are injured or disabled on the roads each year. Additionally, a further 37,000 lose their lives. Therefore, you’d think that the launch of autonomous vehicles would assure the nation that their roads are safer than ever. After all, more than 90% of road accidents are caused by human error, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Yet, a new report has revealed that the nation is wary of this new innovative vehicle technology, with most against the use of it.

Cautious America

The American Automobile Association’s (AAA) survey on autonomous vehicles revealed that 75% of the population is scared of traveling in such a vehicle. Meanwhile, just 10% said that they were happy to share the road with driverless vehicles. With several high profile cases of autonomous vehicles being involved in collisions, it’s no surprise that the nation feels this way. However, it’s just as risky, if not more so, to share the road with a human-operated car. Therefore, if you find yourself involved in a collision on the road with a driverless or driver operated vehicle, the most important factor is to seek the assistance of a qualified attorney who will fight to get you what you’re owed.

High profile accidents

The most prolific driverless vehicle crash occurred in March this year when an autonomous Uber vehicle hit and killed a female pedestrian while she was crossing the road with her bicycle. A further fatality occurred just days later when the driver of a Tesla Model X crashed while in Mountain View. Although, the car manufacturer states that the driver was driving without his hands on the steering wheel. While these accidents were serious and avoidable, it’s important to note that vehicles operated by humans are in most cases statistically more dangerous.

The benefits of driverless vehicles

Statistical data reveals that individuals are almost certainly safer to drive in a car which is operated by a computer rather than a human. When a state of the art piece of technology is running your vehicle and others on the road, there is no need to worry about excess speed, distracted drivers or drivers under the influence. The cost of road crashes will decrease, too. Currently, collisions cost an average of $820 per person each year. However, as autonomous vehicles will reduce the likelihood of a crash occurring, the nation’s pockets will benefit.

The aim of driverless vehicles is to make America’s roads safer. Therefore, statistics showing that the majority of the population fear such vehicles is disheartening. Before you completely shun the idea of autonomous vehicles, be sure to consider the number of incidents manned vehicles are involved in each year, as well as the benefits of using a computer to get you from A to B.