Self-driving Vehicles: Do Their Risks Outweigh Their Benefits?

Abstract

For self-driving vehicles (SDVs), do their benefits to society outweigh their risks? Or their risks outweigh their benefits? Public responses to these questions were not yet surveyed previously. A total of 1032 participants in China were asked this question. Their answers showed that 42.4% thought that the benefits of SDVs are higher than their risks. However, more than 50% participants held other opinions: 20.3% participants believed that the risks of SDVs are higher than their benefits, and 37.3% participants thought that the benefits of SDVs are equal to their risks. Four demographic characteristics were found to affect participants’ the benefit-risk perception of SDVs. Those who have heard about SDVs before the survey, male, older (≥40), and highly educated tended to perceive higher benefits versus risks. Our findings imply that the public do not show optimism toward SDVs. Effective risk communication is necessary to prevent SDVs from becoming another controversial technology in society.