Motorists of a sure age return damning verdict on controversial rule change for 2026

On Nov 12, 2024

Older drivers have given the thumbs down to plans of adopting self-driving cars within the next few years.

Despite hopes that road users might get a glimpse of autonomous vehicles cruising by 2026, older motorists are not buying it with a whopping one in five refusing to trust the new tech on wheels.

Among those aged 55 to 64, a sceptical 17% are giving the side-eye to the tech advancements. Meanwhile, just 15% of folk surveyed reckon driverless cars will lead to safer streets, and 22% believe it’ll be same old, same old when it comes to road safety.

Matt Freeman, from HPI, said : “Although there is still some work to be done, the legal framework is already in place, which means we could see fully autonomous vehicles on our roads within the next two years.”

He added a lot of weight is being thrown behind this futuristic fantasy with trials and pilot stunts thanks to the AV Act. Autonomous driving is said to be capable of reducing human error on the road which reportedly causes 88% of crashes.

Matt continued: “For years, drivers have been using autonomous tech in their cars in the form of driver assistance systems. More recently, ongoing tech and major advances in artificial intelligence, which underpins the decision-making process that cars have to go through to drive themselves, have taken giant strides towards making autonomous vehicles a serious reality.”, reports Birmingham Live.

Only 12% of over-65s are prepared to trust self-driving cars. The legislation is rooted in road safety, with autonomous vehicles anticipated to enhance road safety by minimising human error, which accounts for 88% of road collisions.

The law will mandate that autonomous vehicles attain a safety level equivalent to or better than careful and competent human drivers, as well as pass stringent safety checks before being permitted on roads. Consequently, fatalities and injuries from drink driving, speeding, fatigue and distraction could be significantly reduced in the future.