The openness to the benefits of automated driving is already high in China and Japan, while people in Germany, France and the USA continue to have a wait-and-see attitude.
Continental’s latest mobility study that surveyed around 1,000 people in each of these five countries regarding their mobility habits, found that driver assistance systems and automated driving are gaining acceptance worldwide.
Launched in 2011, this is the sixth edition of Continental’s Mobility Study, done with the support of the market and social research institute infas.
The study also found that overall, the technological possibilities in terms of automated driving are far more advanced than the current willingness of drivers to use them. For driver assistance systems though, the situation is different. Respondents in all five countries have expressed a consistently high degree of openness, especially when it comes to safety-related functions such as turn assist systems.
Specific findings of the study
Over 50% of those surveyed in Germany, France and the USA believe that automated driving is useful, but also a little frightening. Three quarters of the people surveyed in the US are concerned about the issue. This is significantly more than in the other countries surveyed. Interestingly, this figure has not changed since 2018, the study observed.
Respondents are appreciative of new technologies, but fully giving up control is still unimaginable for many.
China and Japan, however, offered quite a contrary view, with 91% of respondents in China and 82% in Japan considering automated driving to be a useful development. In addition, 79% in China and 67% in Japan expect the technology to become a permanent feature of everyday road traffic in the next five to 10 years.
The study also found around 80% respondents saying that legislation has so far not created a relevant framework for technical development on the manufacturer side. Policy makers should establish central guiding principles for use of automated driving in daily road traffic, they argued.
Meanwhile, the study also found that there is no lack of general openness to technology among the people in the five countries surveyed. Majority of those surveyed are already open to handing over sub-tasks such as parking completely to assistants or to being supported in traffic by technology, for example by a turn assist system.
Respondents in China – more than 90% - found the idea of fully handing over parking to an autonomous assistant particularly appealing, while in the other four countries, 62-64% of respondents would like to use this technology. In these four countries, the decision is largely dependent on the price of the driver assistance system. In China, price plays a role for only 5% respondents, while in Japan the corresponding figure is 21%.
About 91% in China are particularly appreciative of right-turn assist systems that specifically protect cyclists and pedestrians from turning vehicles. In fact, this technology found great deal of interest in the other countries as well, with over 70% voting for it. In Japan, the deciding factor is price, the study noted.
At the forefront
The German technology major has been at the forefront of driving forward R&D in the area of assisted and automated driving. The company is committed to make mobility of the future, along with its new functions and services, more secure, environmentally friendly and driver-centred.
Commenting on the findings, Frank Petznick, head of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems business unit, Continental said the high level of confidence in driver assistance systems indicates that, as these become more widespread, confidence in automated driving will grow automatically.
“Our experience has shown that acceptance increases as people get to know and understand the functions in question. Extensive testing is therefore key. This should be carried out in real-life traffic conditions in order to understand how people interact with the systems. In turn, this will provide important findings that can be incorporated into the further development of the technology,” he said.
Between 2018 and 2020, Continental received orders amounting to more than €9 billion in the area of advanced driver assistance and automated driving systems. In view of the potential in these areas, the company has also decided to set up an independent business area within the organisation, called Autonomous Mobility, which will be dedicated to the future topic of automated and autonomous driving. The focus will also be on components and systems for driverless taxis, the company said.