Most Young Drivers Expect To Use an Autonomous Vehicle Sooner Rather Than Later
Most young drivers expect to use an autonomous vehicle sooner rather than later. Here’s why that isn’t too far-fetched.
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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Autonomous vehicles aren’t too distant of a reality for the current “it” generation.
According to survey data published by
Jerry
, 30% of Generation Z drivers expect to ride in an autonomous vehicle within the next 5 years. This is in contrast with 41% of all drivers surveyed saying they never expect to use a fully autonomous vehicle in their lifetime.Waiting for advances in tech
A majority of the youngest driving generation is confident in the near-term success of autonomous vehicle technology, while older generations are not—particularly Baby Boomers, with
65% saying
they don’t expect to ride in a self-driving vehicle, period.Granted, it’s safe to assume that the generation with the longest amount of driving years ahead of them is more receptive to the idea that the tech will advance enough to make autonomous vehicles feasible. It’s just not there yet.
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Multiple definitions, mixed results
Currently, there are six “levels of automation” per the
Society of Automotive Engineers
, ranging from none to full automation for driverless vehicles. For instance, a vehicle with Level 0 autonomy would see the driver performing all tasks necessary to operate the vehicle.
Level 1 vehicles throw some driver assist features like cruise control into the mix.
Level 2 vehicles feature some automated functions like lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control, but no hands-free driving.
The vast majority of current drivers have driven Level 0 or Level 1 vehicles, with Level 2 advances becoming more commonplace as automakers offer them on a wider variety of their lineups. GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s Blue Cruise are Level 2 autonomous systems, offering limited self-driving capability. Tesla’s Autopilot feature also falls in this category, despite the name.
It’s when we get to Level 3—conditional automation—that things start looking a little more futuristic.
The highest levels of autonomous driving
Level 3 is where you’ll start to see a more laissez-faire approach, where a driver is necessary but not required to monitor the driving environment. The driver, however, must be prepared to take control of the vehicle at all times with notice in case something pops up that the vehicle can’t handle itself.
Mercedes recently won regulatory approval in Germany to deploy its Level 3 “Drive Pilot” hands-free driving package, which allows drivers to let go of the steering wheel in slow-moving traffic or speeds under 60 kph (37 mph), per
Automotive News
.Feasible applications for Level 4 and Level 5 automation are still out of reach for most automakers. But full automation within the next decade isn’t out of the question—especially when there’s untapped revenue to be had.
That’s the case with Ford, Lyft, and Argo AI, which have joined together to bring safe autonomous ridesharing to the average American. The plan calls for Lyft to roll out 1,000 autonomous vehicles on its network within 5 years of the collaboration’s announcement.
The future is bright
While it isn’t truly surprising to see younger drivers more optimistic about autonomous driving, it is still reassuring to know Gen. Z is excited about the prospects of the new technology.
If recent history around this technology has taught us anything though, we might we waiting a little longer than we think.
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