Self-driving vehicles against human drivers: Equal safety is far from enough

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Transportation Safety

Background:

• Public acceptance of autonomous systems is crucial for their widespread adoption.
• Understanding risk perception for self-driving vehicles (SDVs) compared to human-driven vehicles (HDVs) is essential for regulatory frameworks.
• Psychological factors influencing risk assessment for novel technologies require detailed investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the acceptable risk levels for SDVs versus HDVs.
• To investigate the psychological mechanisms, specifically trust and negative affect, underlying risk acceptance for SDVs.
• To provide insights for the regulation and public integration of SDVs.

Main Methods:

• Four studies were conducted in China and South Korea involving human participants.
• Participants assessed the acceptable risk of SDVs compared to HDVs under varying safety performance conditions.
• Psychometric measures assessed trust, negative affect, and willingness to ride in vehicles.

Main Results:

• Participants consistently demanded SDVs be 4-5 times safer than HDVs.
• Lower trust in SDVs, more than negative affect, explained reduced risk acceptance when safety was equivalent.
• Both lower trust and higher negative affect contributed to a reduced willingness to ride in SDVs.

Conclusions:

• Public perception necessitates a significantly higher safety margin for SDVs compared to HDVs.
• Trust is a primary driver of risk acceptance for SDVs, outweighing negative emotional responses.
• Findings inform regulatory bodies and developers on managing public perception and ensuring safe SDV deployment.