Younger Americans Fear Other Drivers More Than Death, Public Speaking and Spiders, New Study Finds
June 23 2015 - 3:00PM
Business Wire
- Millennials and Generation Z consumers
are more afraid of other motorists driving dangerously than death,
public speaking and spiders – a new survey says
- Top driving fears include backing out
onto busy streets, maneuvering into tight parking spaces and
monitoring blind spots
- Ford announces it is moving to migrate
the company’s driver-assist technologies across its product lineup
over the next five years
Public speaking just lost the top spot as the most feared task
for younger Americans. Distracted, dangerous drivers are now the
first concern for Millennial and Generation Z consumers, new
research finds.
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For decades, public speaking was America’s most anxiety-inducing
activity. Now, dangerous drivers are more frightening than speaking
in public, death, spiders and snakes – according to independent
research company Penn Schoen Berland.
Top fears for Millennials and members of Generation Z:
- Other motorists driving dangerously (88
percent)
- Public speaking (75 percent)
- Death (74 percent)
- Spiders (69 percent)
- Snakes (69 percent)
“Younger generations are growing up with different fears than
their parents or grandparents,” said Kevin Shkolnik, vice
president, Penn Schoen Berland. “Younger drivers are worried about
distracted drivers, but they think technology isn’t just the
problem, it’s also the solution, as we are seeing growing demand
for driver-assistance technologies.”
The most worrisome driving situations among survey respondents
include:
- Snowy or icy roads (79 percent)
- Maneuvering into a tight parking spot
(75 percent)
- Backing out onto a busy street (74
percent)
- Monitoring blind spots (70
percent)
- Not knowing where I’m going (69
percent)
Penn Schoen Berland conducted the poll on behalf of Ford Motor
Company, surveying 1,000 Generation Z (ages 16-22) and Generation Y
(ages 23-34) respondents in the United States. The online survey
was conducted between April 29 and May 4, 2015; the margin of error
is +/- 3.1 percent.
The new research validates Ford’s decision to offer technologies
that will help drivers with common driving concerns. Today, Ford
announced it is moving to migrate driver-assist technologies across
its product lineup over the next five years.
“Research like this is important to Ford and other automotive
brands because it informs us about the situations that cause
consumers the most stress,” said Crystal Worthem, Ford brand
marketing manager. “As driver distraction and safety conversations
have broadened, we are seeing what technology will help customers
tackle their greatest fears.”
The research shows 65 percent of respondents are more likely to
purchase a vehicle if it has technology to help with parallel
parking. Of those polled, 62 percent want technology to detect
objects in blind spots.
While Ford already offers active park assist and blind spot
monitoring, the company continues to develop innovative
driver-assist technologies for future vehicles.
“Ford is listening to customers to better understand what they
want from their vehicles,” said Worthem. “Part of understanding
what consumers want is to know what concerns them, and we will
continue to use data like this to inform how we research and
develop our products and technologies.”
Currently, Ford offers some of the most in-demand vehicle
technologies on most of its products in North America:
Technology Number of Ford vehicles offering
feature* Rearview camera 19* Blind spot monitoring
10 Semi-automatic parallel park 9 Adaptive cruise
control 7 Lane-keeping system 5
* Standard on 12 vehicles
Ford engineers continue to work on technology for the future,
including pre-collision assist, pedestrian detection and remote
parking.
J.D. Power recently released findings from its inaugural U.S.
Tech Choice Study, which focuses on technologies consumers want to
buy regardless of price. Overwhelmingly, most of these are
technologies related to safety – specifically, collision
protection, according to the study. Blind spot detection and
collision prevention systems rank among the most valued
features.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across
six continents. With about 194,000 employees and 66 plants
worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and
Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor
Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its
products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
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Ford Motor CompanyAaron Miller,
313-845-4467amill226@ford.com
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