Consumers Say 'Not In My Backyard' For Real-World Autonomous Car Testing Posted on : Aug 16 - 2018

There have been enough accidents, some fatal, to warrant years of additional real world testing of autonomous vehicles, but a study released today by Cox Automotive reveals large segment of the public agrees such testing is necessary, but doesn’t want it happening in their neighborhoods.

“Over half don’t want the testing taking place in their backyard,” said Isabelle Helms, Vice President of Research & Market Intelligence at Cox Automotive. “54% prefer the testing be conducted in a different town than their own and 54% wouldn’t feel comfortable walking near roads where the testing is occurring. In addition half wouldn’t be comfortable sharing the roads with AVs,” Helms said during a webinar with reporters and analysts on Wednesday.

The results were part of a study conducted by Vital Findings on behalf of Cox Automotive and included 1,250 consumers in the U.S. who participated in an online survey this past May, gauging consumer attitudes towards self-driving vehicles.  It revealed 84% of respondents said they cannot imagine giving up complete control of a vehicle to a computer without the option to take over if they want to.

The issue of where and how to test self-driving vehicles is a vexing one since municipalities are well aware of the discomfort, even fear, drivers and pedestrians have of sharing roads with driverless machines. That’s despite agreeing testing in actual traffic situations is a vital element in developing safer self-driving cars and trucks.

With that in mind a number of different approaches are being taken to accomplish such testing while building public trust.

 In Detroit, Ann Arbor, Michigan-based startup May Mobility put a fleet of six-passenger, self-steering electric vehicles on the streets as part of a project with property management firm Bedrock, a unit of Quicken Loans.

Operating on a closed, one-mile course, the shuttles will transport employees between far-flung parking garages and other company locations. The self-driving shuttles will not only replace some of the diesel-powered buses used to move Bedrock employees but to create a comfort level in co-existing with such vehicles.

“The vehicles are deployed among other cars, cyclists, pedestrians and more, making self-driving vehicles a normal part of everyday life,” said May Mobility in a June news release marking the start of the program. View More