- 63% of Aussies hold concerns about autonomous driving, according to a recent survey conducted by Savvy
- 34% of respondents stated that they didn’t trust self-driving cars and were uncomfortable with them, while a further 28% had doubts but were open to considering them
- These figures represent noticeable spikes in the numbers recorded in the previous survey, with 22% and 25% aligning with the above responses, respectively
The number of Aussies who hold doubts about autonomous driving has risen to almost two thirds of drivers over the past three years, according to Savvy’s EV Sentiments Survey.
The survey, which focused on people’s views on EVs, found that over a third (34%) reported that they didn’t trust the self-driving function on modern cars and were uncomfortable.
A further 28% reported certain doubts and concerns over the technology, but may consider it in future.
These figures are notably up on the results recorded in the 2023 edition of the survey, where the proportions of respondents that sat in each camp were 22% and 25%, respectively.
Additionally, just 17% of respondents felt either mostly or entirely comfortable with autonomous driving, compared to 29% in 2023.
The message is loud and clear from Aussie drivers, according to Savvy Managing Director Bill Tsouvalas.
“Although there are plenty of next-generation technologies being added to cars each year that drivers are open to, our survey’s results show that autonomous driving clearly isn’t one of them,” he said.
“As the technology advances, it should be allaying the general public’s fears, but we’re seeing the opposite happening right now.
“Manufacturers like Tesla who are pushing hard towards self-driving cars need to do more to build confidence in them, because public sentiment is heading in the wrong direction.”
Tesla’s self-driving technology not to be trusted: ex-employees
The results come as the tide continues to turn against self-driving capabilities amid their global rollout, with a group of former Tesla employees warning prospective buyers not to trust them.
Reuters interviewed nine ex-data labellers and an ex-self-driving engineer in a recent report, revealing that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature was failing to consistently complete basic tasks like avoiding emergency vehicles, stopping for school buses or even slowing down prior to impact with another car or road hazard.
Footage reviewed by data labellers was claimed to have featured accidents with dogs, cats and deer, as well as very near misses with children in the road.
This comes despite continued bullish statements by Tesla’s controversial CEO, Elon Musk, that its FSD technology is ready to be rolled out across all models.
The disconnect between the confident positioning and grandiose claims on autonomous driving by carmakers like Tesla and the real-world accounts of its teething issues (and, in some cases, grave failings) is undoubtedly feeding into increasing scepticism from the public at large.
Interestingly, the survey also found that Tesla’s popularity among Australian drivers was slipping, falling behind Toyota and BYD among the most desirable EV brands.
Covered for self-driving crashes? Absolutely, says BYD
One provider that’s looking to get on the front foot and dispel major concerns about autonomous driving is BYD, who announced that it would offer full liability coverage for self-driving car accidents caused by its advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), known as God’s Eye.
The coverage, which will be available in BYD’s manufacturing base of China, is being offered on the back of confidence that the 3.15 million vehicles with Intelligent Driving Assistance technology already on the road and logging 200 million kilometres per day will provide the data it needs to keep road users safe.
Its announcement also notably gave it yet another advantage over Tesla, its main competitor, and other EV manufacturers who aren’t yet willing to extend the same coverage to their customers.
It’s worth noting that this technology isn’t yet available in Australian BYD models, which are instead limited to more standard assistance technologies like adaptive cruise control.
