How do familiarity and fatal accidents affect acceptance of self-driving vehicles?

Expected benefits of disruptive technologies such as self-driving vehicles may only materialize if they are publicly accepted. Acceptance increases when implementation is experienced as initial concerns become unfounded and individuals become familiar with the new technology. Fatal accidents, however, negatively affect acceptance. This paper examines citizens' acceptance of self-driving vehicles by contrasting pre- and post-implementation of a self-driving shuttle in Switzerland and before and after the first fatal accident involving a self-driving vehicle in Arizona (USA) in 2018 gaining high media attention. To gauge acceptance, a panel survey using a random sample of 1408 Swiss residents was used. The results indicate that news about the fatal accident abroad exerts a stronger effect on acceptance than experiencing a self-driving bus trial. Latent skepticism causes acceptance to decrease in the event of an accident but only lasts short term. However, acceptance levels are stable and at high levels, which also explains the comparably low familiarity effects. As public acceptance is necessary for technology transitions, this article provides policymakers practical insights on how citizens form preferences towards traffic automation and related policy regulations. More specifically, results show how attitudes change over time while residents experience a trial and the first fatal accident with the technology at hand.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2021.11.004
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847821002540
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13698478
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2021 Michael Wicki. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Wicki, Michael
• Publication Date: 2021-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 401-423
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
  • Volume: 83
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1369-8478
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceptance; Attitudes; Autonomous vehicles; Fatalities; Technological innovations
• Geographic Terms: Switzerland
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01830666
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 20 2021 9:14AM