Consumer trust in self-driving cars has plummeted following high-profile roadway fatalities, with almost three-quarters of Americans now saying they are too afraid to ride in an autonomous vehicle, according to a new survey.
The survey by the American Automobile Association shows faith in robot rides has been shaken by two March incidents: A pedestrian in Arizona struck and killed by an Uber self-driving car and a fatality involving a Tesla Model X operating in semi-autonomous “Autopilot” mode. The fear factor reported by 73% of those polled last month was up 10 points from late 2017 and nearly erased gains from the 78% afraid of automated cars early last year.