Public feel unsafe with driverless taxis on UK roads – Motorfinity

Majority (77%) of the UK public said that riding in a taxi, with no human driver would make them feel unsafe, according to research from Motorfinity

Motorfinity ran a snapshot survey of its customer base of frontline-worker motorists to gauge consumer sentiment around driverless technology.

Almost half (43%) rated safety at 0 or 1 out of 5, with zero being unsafe, and 5 being completely safe.

12% rated 4 or above, saying they would feel safe in a self-driving car.

Half (47%) of respondents said they would be significantly put off using taxi services if they were driverless.

Among the comments left by respondents, concerns were raised about the driverless cars’ ability to navigate adverse conditions, such as road closures and no-go areas.

One respondent said a concern was “to ensure they can safely identify temporary road closures such as police scenes to prevent injury.”

Respondents also raised concerns around safety and liability, with one respondent asking, “how can you get out?” in an accident, and another asking, “how can they guarantee it is 100% safe?”