Survey Suggests Americans Are Warming to Self-Driving Cars — With One Catch

A decade ago, telling someone you’d happily ride in a car with no steering wheel might have earned you a puzzled look. New research from Cox Automotive indicates that stance is softening: over the past ten years, U.S. drivers have grown noticeably more acquainted with — and more receptive to — autonomous technology.

But there’s an important condition attached. The comfort appears to stop short of full autonomy. What Americans seem to favor are systems that still leave a human able to take over when needed, rather than handing complete control to the machine.

The cautious mood isn’t hard to explain. Driving is woven deeply into American identity, and the romance of the open road is a powerful cultural image. Add years of on-screen scenarios featuring hackers commandeering vehicles, and skepticism becomes understandable. Familiarity, however, appears to be chipping away at that resistance.

So the question stands: would you let your car take the wheel? And what would have to change before you said yes?