53 Percent of US Adults Say Driverless Cars Will Be Common Within a Decade

Fifty-three percent of American adults expect driverless cars to be common within a decade.

That figure includes 19 percent who believe they will be common within five years. At the other extreme, Gallup research found that 15 percent of Americans believe it will take more than 20 years for self-driving cars to be common in the United States.[1]

An earlier Number of the Day showed one reason that it will take a while for self-driving cars to become the norm: Americans hang on to their cars for an average of 11.2 years. There are still nearly two million cars on the road from the 1960s.

The concept of self-driving cars has moved rapidly from the realm of science fiction to reality. Twenty-two states have passed laws guiding the operation of self-driving vehicles. Additionally, 10 governors have issued executive orders on the topic.

Still, self-driving cars represent such a fundamental cultural change that many Americans remain uncomfortable with them. In fact, 24 percent of American adults oppose self-driving cars and say that they will never use them.

One of the potential benefits of self-driving cars is increased safety. However, the American public isn’t sold on that point. The recent Gallup survey found that just 28 percent believe having all or mostly self-driving cars on the road is the safest option.

Another potential benefit comes from the fact that the vast majority of interactions between police officers and American citizens are related to cars and driving. Self-driving cars might eliminate more than 32 million such interactions every year, freeing police for other duties.

Footnotes:

1. Gallup, "Americans Expect Driverless Cars to Be Common in Next Decade," May 11, 2018

​Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.​

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.