WASHINGTON, D. C. (Wednesday, April 11, 2018) –– As the development and testing of autonomous vehicle technology continue to progress rapidly, drivers residing in the District of Columbia report that their greatest concerns about the introduction of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology are safety and reliability, a new survey of area consumers from AAA Mid-Atlantic reveals. Drivers residing in Maryland and Virginia are equally concerned about the safe operation of fully autonomous vehicles on the roadway.

When it comes to adoption of  autonomous vehicle technology, more than seven out of ten District drivers, (75 percent), said the safety and reliability of automated driving systems are their foremost concerns followed by mechanical breakdowns and cost of repair (7 percent), and data and cybersecurity (5 percent) as chief cares, according to a recent survey of 600 drivers residing in Washington, D.C. District law authorizes “AV testing and operations under specified conditions.” It went into effect in 2013.

In contrast, six out of ten drivers licensed in Maryland (68 percent) and Virginia (68 percent) said their greatest qualms are the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles. Public Policy Polling conducted the survey for AAA Mid-Atlantic between March 27 and March 29, approximately a week and a half after the highly publicized death of a pedestrian who was struck and killed by an Uber self-driving vehicle in Tempe, Arizona.  In January 2018, AAA released the results of a nationwide poll regarding autonomous vehicles. In that poll, six out of ten U.S. drivers (63 percent) reported feeling afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle. That result is a significant decrease from 78 percent in early 2017. 

“It is difficult to say whether the incident in Arizona impacted the way people answered questions about the introduction of autonomous vehicle technology, but it may have been on their minds,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public & Government Affairs. “Any crash involving an autonomous vehicle, especially involving death or injury, will receive heightened scrutiny; as well it should for safety’s sake. It is incumbent upon manufacturers, technology companies and regulators to continue to work toward ensuring new technology is safe and proper protections are in place for all road users.”

Vehicles with hands-free driving systems are on the market. Yet only the District, Virginia, Pennsylvania and 20 other states have enacted laws regarding autonomous vehicles (AVs), according to AAA, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Many of today’s new vehicles have some of the same technology being used in autonomous or partly autonomous vehicles, such as lane departure warning, parking assist, adaptive cruise control, and crash avoidance braking. Sixty-two percent of respondents in the District said they do not use these technologies, and, of those who do, the majority use primarily lane departure warning (12 percent); parking assist (10 percent); adaptive cruise control (8 percent), and crash avoidance braking (5 percent). In contrast, 56 percent of respondents in Maryland and 53 percent of Virginia respondents said they do not use these technologies.

The District government is identifying an “ideal candidate” for an autonomous vehicle (AV) pilot zone within the confines of the city. To this end, the Bowser Administration is partnering with the Southwest Business Improvement District to develop a “first-mile, last-mile” autonomous vehicle pilot program along 10th Street, SW, adjacent to L’Enfant Plaza. In an effort to meet specific local transportation challenges and introduce the public to the concept of autonomous vehicles, some jurisdictions are planning to operate an autonomous bus or shuttle in narrowly defined areas or to solve specific needs.

However, the AAA survey revealed that a large majority of respondents in the District, 70 percent, would choose not to ride in a driverless car, bus, or shuttle if it were available locally, while 22 percent of city residents said that they would ride in a fully autonomous vehicle. That compares to 76 percent of respondents in Virginia and 75 percent of Maryland drivers disinclined to ride in a self-driving vehicle. This suggests that broad public awareness and education campaigns will be crucial to the success of any such deployment.

Are you ready? In February, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the formation of an Autonomous Vehicle think tank or Working Group. It is tasked with preparing the District for the advent and deployment of AV technologies and keeping the District on the “cutting edge of autonomous vehicles.” 

For example, one of the biggest questions about the impact of autonomous vehicles is, “How will they change the way people use their vehicles?” The answer to this question will have a significant impact on the way cities and towns plan and pay for their transportation needs in the future. When asked how their vehicle usage habits are likely to change in comparison to their current habits, the majority of respondents, 54 percent of licensed drivers residing in the District, said that they would likely use a driverless vehicle less than they use their current vehicle now. Another 20 percent said that they would use the driverless vehicle to transport them about the same amount and 16 percent said they would use the driverless vehicle to transport them more.  By contrast, 64 percent of respondents in Virginia, as well as 63 percent of Maryland respondents, indicate they would likely use a driverless vehicle less than they use their current vehicles.

In order for autonomous vehicles to operate alongside each other on the highway, they need to exchange data regularly with other vehicles and roadway infrastructure. A clear majority of District drivers, 60 percent, responded that they are very concerned about the security of the data sent to and from autonomous vehicles. Another 22 percent of city residents responded that they are somewhat concerned, 11 percent of respondents are not very concerned and six percent of respondents are not concerned at all. A slightly higher percentage of drivers in Virginia and Maryland, 63 percent mutually, said they are very concerned about the security of the data sent to and from autonomous vehicles.

The District’s law (§ 50–2352) allowing the operation of autonomous vehicles (AVs) requires a duly licensed driver to be seated in the control seat or driver’s seat of the AV while it is in operation and the law requires the driver to be “prepared to take control of the autonomous vehicle at any moment” in case of an emergency.  Under District Code, autonomous vehicles operating on a public roadway in the District must have “a manual override feature that allows a driver to assume control of the autonomous vehicle at any time.”

If respondents to the survey are uncertain about the safety of autonomous vehicles, they have a pretty clear sense of who should be responsible if something goes wrong. When asked who should be responsible for liability while riding in a driverless vehicle, 34 percent of respondents believe the liability should rest with the car manufacturer, 26 percent of respondents believe it is the responsibility of the technology company, and 17 percent of respondents believe it should be the car owner. Only eight percent of respondents believe it should be the licensed driver. The remaining 15 percent of respondents were uncertain. By contrast, 32 percent of respondents in Virginia, and 27 percent of respondents in Maryland, said they believe it is the responsibility of the technology company to ensure safe vehicle automation.

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AAA provides automotive, travel and insurance services to 57 million members nationwide and nearly 78,000 members in the District of Columbia.  AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.  The not-for-profit, fully tax-paying member organization works on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information, visit  https://aaa.com