Autonomous Cars Face Resistance in U.K.

Only about 5% of British motorists say they are ready to embrace self-driving cars, with 70.3% giving a red light to the idea of giving control of their driving to a computer.

A survey by U.K. specialist insurance broker Adrian Flux found 24% of drivers still undecided.

Flux, which specializes in providing insurance coverage for modified and unusual vehicles, surveyed 1,784 of its customers and found some unusual answers. One driver who rejects the idea asked, “If I'm heading towards a person or a cliff which choice would the car take?”

Flux says among those not ready to accept driverless cars, more than 45% don’t like the idea of not being in control, while nearly 36% say they simply enjoy driving too much to hand over the reins.

Nearly 5% worry about the implications of computer hacking, 4.4% fear autonomous cars will be too expensive and 2.9% don’t believe the technology ever will catch on.

Flux General Manager Gerry Bucke says the survey shows the biggest obstacle to the uptake of driverless cars is people’s love of driving, fear of the unknown and reluctance to turn over another part of their lives to computers.

“There appears little doubt that driverless cars will become a reality in one form or another, but motorists are clearly struggling with the idea of giving up the freedom of the open road and simple pleasure of driving great cars,” Bucke says in a statement.

“Many people have a real passion for cars and driving, and if vehicles are all essentially the same, moving around the country at fixed speeds with no input from the driver, one of life’s pleasures will be taken away.

“The biggest stumbling block to this new technology, however good it may be, could well be that people simply don’t want it.”