ERIE, Pa., March 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent
national survey commissioned by Erie Insurance, and conducted
online by Harris Poll among nearly 3,000 licensed U.S. drivers,
finds almost six in 10 (59 percent) think that self-driving cars
will eliminate the problem of distracted driving. Two-thirds of men
think this, compared with just over half of women (66 percent to 52
percent, respectively).
But while it might be nice to completely kick back and let the
car do the driving, experts say the time for that is likely a long
way off.
"The term 'self-driving car' suggests I can hop in my car, enter
a destination and have it take me from point A to point B. But that
car doesn't exist yet," said Adrian
Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety.
With that in mind, and to coincide with Distracted Driving
Awareness Month, Erie Insurance commissioned a national survey on
licensed drivers' attitudes toward self-driving cars and distracted
driving.
"According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, human error is a factor in 94 percent of car
crashes. While we believe that fully autonomous vehicles will
greatly reduce that number, it's hard to predict how soon they will
be widely available," said Cody
Cook, Erie Insurance vice president and product manager of
ERIE's auto department. "Current
technology is going a long way to keep us safer on the road, but
the last thing we want is for people to become over-confident as
this technology continues to evolve. Unfortunately, our survey
finds that many people are getting ahead of themselves—making plans
for what they'll do in the car instead of paying attention to the
road."
Sleeping promises to be a popular pastime in self-driving cars.
Roughly half of licensed drivers (51 percent) say one of the
biggest advantages of self-driving cars would be the ability to go
longer distances without worrying about being drowsy while driving.
About a fifth of licensed drivers (19 percent) say they'd sleep or
nap while operating a self-driving car.
Other activities licensed drivers plan to do while operating a
self-driving car include texting (34 percent); checking and sending
emails (34 percent); reading (27 percent); and playing video games
(11 percent). Ten percent said they'd meditate and perhaps
surprisingly nearly 1 in 5 men ages 18-34 (18 percent) say they
would engage in this activity.
Seven percent of licensed drivers say they would engage in
romantic activities while operating a self-driving car, with men
almost four times more likely to do this than women (11 percent vs.
3 percent, respectively).
When asked to write in what they would do, one licensed driver
said they'd be "a nervous wreck," while a few others said they
would pray.
Licensed drivers also weighed in on the serious topic of driving
under the influence. Whether it's true or not is unknown, but 13
percent believe you wouldn't get cited for DUI/DWI if you are under
the influence when operating a self-driving car. One third (33
percent) believe that one of the biggest advantages of self-driving
cars will be the ability to get home safely if under the influence
of drugs or alcohol. A much smaller percentage of those 21+ (5
percent) say they would drink alcoholic beverages while operating a
self-driving car.
Given that drivers are likely to still need to pay attention and
be prepared to intervene when operating a self-driving car, the
survey asked licensed drivers to suggest alternative names to
"self-driving" or "autonomous" cars in order to communicate that
the driver would still need to pay attention and be ready to take
control. Many of the suggestions revealed drivers' fears about the
safety of self-driving cars. Suggested replacement names provided
by licensed drivers included:
- Boy are you lazy
- Potential disaster car
- Bad Science car
- Take your chances car
- Accidents waiting to happen car
"While some of the responses may have been written in jest or
taken on a light-hearted tone, if our survey gets people talking
about a serious issue like distracted driving, it will have served
its purpose," said Cook. "We hope people will remember that despite
technological advances, it's still critical—for now, anyway—to keep
your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your mind on
what you are doing."
Methodology: This survey was conducted online within
the United States by Harris Poll
on behalf of Erie Insurance from February 28
- March 2, 2017 among 2,932 U.S. licensed drivers ages 18
and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample
and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be
calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting
variables, please contact Leah
Knapp.
About Erie Insurance
According to A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance Group, based in
Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 10th
largest homeowners insurer and 12th largest automobile insurer in
the United States based on direct
premiums written and the 15th largest property/casualty insurer in
the United States based on total
lines net premium written. The Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M.
Best Company, has more than 5 million policies in force and
operates in 12 states and the District of
Columbia. Erie Insurance Group is a FORTUNE 500 company.
News releases and more information about Erie Insurance Group
are available at www.erieinsurance.com.
Tweetable Highlights
- .@erie_insurance survey finds most drivers think self-driving
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- What would you do in a self-driving car? @erie_insurance survey
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SOURCE Erie Insurance