Consumers demand 'absolute' safety from self-driving cars

A substantial number of drivers believe the road toll should be reduced to zero with the introduction of sophisticated self-driving vehicles.

This is the key take-out from a self-driving car survey conducted by EastLink, Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs toll road operator.

Of the 18,010 respondents taking part in this year's survey, 28 per cent of men want an autonomous (self-driving) car to be completely safe. The figure was even higher for women, over a third of them (37 per cent) expecting that autonomous motoring technology should be entirely risk-free.

But EastLink's Corporate Affairs and Marketing Manager, Doug Spencer-Roy, believes that those expecting the advanced technology to be perfect are fooling themselves.

"When it comes to minimum acceptable safety, a significant proportion of people have unrealistic, unachievable expectations, which will be a significant hurdle for the autonomous vehicle industry to overcome," Spencer-Roy was quoted as saying in a press release.

Drivers also want more sophisticated technology in their cars – the sort of technology that takes the pain out of the daily commute – but fewer drivers are ready to relinquish total control, according to the survey's results.

Across both sexes, 44 per cent could 'definitely' picture a future of autonomous freeway driving – up from 42 per cent of the 15,047 respondents in 2017. The 'Maybe' vote amounted to 37 per cent this year, versus 36 per cent last year. Figures for 'Definitely not' (15 per cent) was down from 18 per cent in 2017 and the 'Don't know' camp remained stable on four per cent.

But as encouraging as these numbers may be for EastLink, the survey inexplicably reveals that fewer drivers in 2018 want 'level 4' or 'level 5' autonomous cars for themselves. According to the survey, just 29% of males and 17% of females want a car that can take care of all the driving on any sort of road.

That's down from 2017, when 35% of males and 22% of females were open to the idea.

And for this year's survey EastLink recast last year's question asking respondents whether they wanted a vehicle that could drive itself on a freeway (42% yes from men, 28% yes from women) as two questions. In one the survey asked whether drivers would choose an autonomous vehicle suitable for freeways, but needing to be continuously monitored by the driver. Only 37% of men and 27% of women said yes.

The second question asked respondents whether they would choose a car that could drive itself on freeways, but might request the driver resume manual control in the event of a situation the car can't handle on its own. Support fell to 33% of men and just 21% of women.

The results suggest that we really want our cars to do absolutely everything for us; and we especially don't want to be disturbed by the car asking for help. It seems we're a long way from broad acceptance of autonomous motoring technology.

"This reduction in desirability for fully self-driving vehicles indicates that expectations had become over-inflated by hype, and people are now becoming more realistic," said Spencer-Roy.

Many of the respondents appear to be intimidated by the task of driving in general – and particularly when it might involve sharing the task with a collection of networked processors and radar/camera/ultrasonic/LiDAR technology. Up to 84% of men were willing to travel to a destination in a car that was autonomous, but only with a driver (someone else) behind the wheel. Women were similarly prepared to be a passenger (80%), as long as there was a driver to take over at short notice.

Support fell dramatically when questioned whether they would ride in a car without a driver present, only 43% of men and 23% of women answering in the affirmative.

But with familiarity the responses from the public may shift towards wider acceptance, particularly as driver-assist technology becomes more common.

"EastLink anticipates that widespread adoption and use of the latest safety and driver assistance features – such as lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking – will significantly improve road safety by reducing the number and severity of crashes," said Spencer-Roy.

"These survey results support EastLink's expectation that these features will become commonplace before fully autonomous vehicles."

The EastLink survey also questioned drivers concerning their attitudes to alternative-energy vehicles (plug-in hybrids and battery-electric cars, as examples). Drivers are ready for a mass migration to fuel-saving, environmentally-friendly cars, according to the survey, with a minority (39%) sticking to a traditional petrol-engined car for their next purchase.

"This year's survey shows that the preference for hybrid power has increased and now rivals the preference for traditional petrol combustion power. The preference for 100% electric has also increased," said Spencer-Roy.

But while battery-electric vehicles are quite familiar to the public (92%), hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (61%) are still a mystery to many. Spencer-Roy would like to see fuel cells become a practical alternative in Australia, for drivers who cover longer distances and travel outside major population centres.

"Manufacturers and other stakeholders should raise awareness of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, to help with its emergence as a practical option for 100% electric vehicles in Australia," he said.

EastLink has announced the results of its survey during the same week that state government transport ministers around the country endorsed a proposal by the National Transport Commission that autonomous cars be subject to 11 new safety criteria and three obligations in addition to the standard ADR approval process required of all vehicles. These requirements will be collectively known as the automated driving system entity.

"We believe that this approach provides a balance between assuring safety and encouraging innovation, while giving certainty to industry prior to vehicles being allowed into the Australian market," said the National Transport Commission's Acting Chief Executive, Dr Geoff Allan.

Under the proposal, state governments will apply the same roadworthy/registration protocol for autonomous cars as for conventional vehicles.

"We will develop options for in-service requirements in conjunction with state and territory governments and the Commonwealth government in the coming year," said Dr Allan.

"Australia is also committed to harmonising regulations on automated vehicles in line with international standards as they are developed."

The full EastLink survey can be downloaded in PDF form for the full details.