Potential hacking is the biggest concern for driverless car future

driverless car

A survey of over 2,000 people has found that an overwhelming majority of people are concerned about driverless technology because of the fear that it could easily be hacked or interfered with.

With the technology world advancing at a rapid rate, a survey carried out by Expert Market asked participants across the UK how they felt about the advancement of driverless car technology and the impact they believe it will have upon society; tackling everything from how much they trust the technology to which loved ones they would be happy to send off in an unmanned cab.

Alarmingly, the results revealed that the majority of people wouldn’t trust a driverless car with their pets, but they would be happy to send their best friend or spouse in a driverless cab – despite their concerns about hacking and safety.

The research also found that 54 per cent of people said they see the use of driverless car technology to transport food, goods and people as a leap forward and would welcome this advancement.

Interestingly, 43 per cent would trust self driving cars with their best friend and 30 per cent with their spouse but only 9 per cent would allow their children under the age of 18 in a self-driving car.

The main fear of the public is that the car or steering system might malfunction and fail, 58 per cent of respondents were concerned about this. The next most prevalent fear, chosen by 53 per cent of participants was that driverless cars could be easily intercepted and their cargo stolen. Half of participants believe we should be concentrating on making drivers safer, not just cars.

John Goggin, CEO of leading logistics company Movolytics: “In the race to be the first to get driverless cars on the road, it seems these companies have failed to build up consumer trust in the technology. Getting buy-in from the public will be an essential part of making a success of driverless cars, so they will have to remedy this in order to get the global reach they are looking for.”

The race may be well underway but car manufacturers haven’t consulted the public as to whether they will trust the technology enough to feel safe.