New research from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) suggests that Canadians are worried and even confused about autonomous vehicles.
According to the report, 55 per cent of Canadians believe self-driving cars offer several benefits, while 61 per cent of people surveyed said they have concerns about accountability in the event of a collision.
“New vehicles today contain some form of connected or automated vehicle technology, whether that’s Bluetooth connectivity, lane assist or another feature,” said Jeff Walker, chief strategy officer at CAA National. “These are the building blocks that will lead to fully autonomous vehicles one day, yet the vast majority of Canadians are not familiar with the technology — and that leads naturally to them having concerns.”
CAA’s research also revealed that 59 per cent of Canadians are worried about cybersecurity or vehicle hacking, and 53 percent are concerned about potential third-party access to driver-generated data.
Past research from CAA also indicated that 83 per cent of drivers have a vague understanding of the coming autonomous technology.
To tackle some of these issues, the association recently launched a Connected and Autonomous Vehicles tool: “an online portal aimed to help Canadians better understand connected and autonomous vehicles,” said CAA. The portal is meant to educate consumers about driverless cars by providing an explanation for each of the different levels of autonomous vehicles, timelines for adoption, and the risks of the technology.
“The transition to autonomous vehicles will likely happen gradually,” said Walker. “In the long run, AVs will save lives since collisions will be much fewer and far between, and they will allow seniors or others with limited mobility the opportunity to regain independence.”
