Which Factors Influence Attitudes Towards Using Autonomous Vehicles?

Abstract

In recent years, autonomous driving has emerged as an explicit technological objective of many players in the automobile market. How will these novel developments be accepted and which factors may determine their acceptance? In an exploratory study we investigated the impact of a number of possible predictors on the attitudes towards using one particular fully autonomous driving paradigm. In a survey with 70 participants we measured these attitudes using items from the "Car Technology Acceptance Model" (CTAM). Among other things we looked at driving experience, previous experience with in-car automation technology and attitudes towards driving violations (measured by the "Driver Attitude Questionnaire", DAQ). Subsequent regression analysis showed a high (DAQ) score (indicative of a less "by the rules" attitude) to be a significant predictor for a positive attitude towards autonomous vehicles as well as a non-significant tendency that women may be less accepting of the autonomous driving paradigm under scrutiny.