Consumers Tell Cisco They're Comfortable With the Driverless Car

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-15/consumers-tell-cisco-theyre-comfortable-with-the-driverless-car

The auto industry has long said that one of the biggest obstacles to commercializing the self-driving vehicle is consumer mindset: Not everyone is comfortable handing the wheel to the in-dash computer while hurtling down the highway. But a new study by Cisco Systems (CSCO) shows that consumers around the world may be more amenable to the autonomous vehicle than has been thought.

In a global survey of 1,514 consumers aged 18 or older, Cisco found that 57 percent would put their trust in a driverless vehicle. The answers vary wildly depending on country, with 95 percent of Brazilians embracing the concept of a silicon chauffeur. In Japan, skepticism is still very high, with only 28 percent willing to give up direct control of their cars.

In the U.S., where many of these autonomous vehicle technologies are being tested, acceptance is above the global average, at 60 percent. What’s more, the Americans surveyed weren’t a bunch of wild risk-takers: Some 48 percent said they would trust a driverless car to ferry around their children. In general, western Europe is less accepting of vehicle autonomy than North America is, and such rapidly developing regions of the world as India and China are more enthusiastic.