---
title: "AAA Survey: Lots of Americans Fear Self-Driving Cars"
description: "More than three-quarters of American drivers say they'd be \"afraid\" to ride in an autonomous car."
date: "2017-03-30"
modified: "2017-03-30"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/8817/aaa-survey-lots-of-americans-fear-self-driving-cars"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "AAA"
  - "autonomous"
  - "self-driving cars"
  - "Survey"
---

# AAA Survey: Lots of Americans Fear Self-Driving Cars

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Manufacturers may be ready to charge ahead with the next wave of autonomous capabilities coming to new cars, but a [new survey of American drivers from AAA](<https://newsroom.aaa.com/2017/03/americans-feel-unsafe-sharing-road-fully-self-driving-cars/>) should give everyone a little pause. While respondents say they appreciate certain autonomous features, 78 percent of respondents say they'd be "afraid" to ride in a fully self-driving car, and another 54 percent said they'd feel "less safe" sharing the road with robot drivers. Whether it comes down to a [lack of exposure and information](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/8521/autonomophobia-how-to-curb-public-fear-of-the-driverless-car>) or a more fundamental discomfort and unease, it's clear the promise of autonomous cars doesn't quite line up with many Americans' perception of the technology.

At first, the results don't quite make sense; a majority of people said they are both afraid of the self-driving future and excited about the idea of having more autonomous features in their current cars. But the apparent contradiction can be explained by the current state of most of these technologies, according to Greg Bannon, AAA's director of Automotive Engineering and Industry Relations.

"U.S. drivers may experience the driver assistance technologies in their cars today and feel they don’t work consistently enough to replace a human driver—and they’re correct," he said in the company's press release. In other words, when someone's radar-guided cruise control screws up, they think: *Wow, I thought this car was supposed to be smart. Imagine if I had no control at all there.*

AAA points out another problem is the variation between different manufacturers' systems, both in design and performance. 81 percent of drivers believe autonomous features should be standardized across makes and models.

Predictably, the results break down generationally, with more Baby Boomers voicing their concerns with self-driving cars than Millennials or Gen-Xers, and more people in the younger generations looking forward to an increase in available autonomous features. But there's enough of a clear majority opinion overall that automakers might want to think about getting more of the public on board before plunging ahead into this brave new world.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)