Are autonomous car companies on the right road?

Article by Sara Lebow | Apr 26, 2022

Close to half of US adults believe widespread use of driverless cars would be bad for society. Meanwhile, 26% think it’d be good for autonomous vehicles to rule the roads, and 29% aren’t sure.

Beyond the chart: Just 1 in 5 US adults would be very or extremely comfortable sharing the road with driverless cars. Fans of the tech argue it reduces commuter stress, which lowers the likelihood of accidents. Critics, however, point out safety as a key problem, especially after the top US auto safety regulator opened investigations into Tesla that cover braking malfunctions and crashes involving its vehicles. Other major concerns about driverless cars include their environmental cost, their vulnerability to hacking, and the economic impact of eliminating drivers. Still, Tesla plans to expand into autonomous ride-sharing as soon as next year, to rival the robotaxi services of Alphabet’s Waymo and General Motors’ Cruise.