Research by YouGov highlighted that the majority of UAE residents are enthusiastic about driverless cars, but still have concerns over driver safety and implementation.
The research showed that 61% believe driverless cars will allow everyone to get around easily regardless of their driving ability as well as 43% of participants believing that driverless cars will help reduce traffic congestion on roads.
However safety was a key concern, with only 43% of respondents stating they would feel safe compared to a car driven by a human. Yet the biggest concern was the risk of technology failure, such as the car failing to stop at the traffic lights, software hacking and other mechanical failures.
YouGov Senior Research Manager Anjali Chhabra commented: “Driverless cars do offer a promising alternative to driving and would reduce the number of road fatalities due to human error. However, public dilemma related to their security, and how these autonomous vehicles are likely to behave when surrounded by human motorists, leave much room for technology experts and regulators alike to ensure self-driven cars are indeed safe in all situations.”Â
However respondents did reveal creating separate lanes for driverless cars is imperative and it would be important to retain manual controls in the cars themselves.
Interestingly, UAE residents would use a driverless car for day-to-day activities, such as commuting to work, however resdients would not use a driverless car in high risk situations, such as taking a loved one to the hospital.
UAE residents would carry out activities such as speaking on their phone car (44%), listen to the radio (39%), talk with other passengers (37%) and rest (37%) while using a driverless car. However just 24% of residents would choose to sleep while in a driverless car.
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