Public concern over safety unlikely to impact long-term
acceptance.
Autonomous vehicles made news earlier this year when with an
Uber test vehicle killed a Arizona pedestrian. This event triggered
an increase in public concern over the safety of autonomous
vehicles, but it is unlikely to have a long term impact on public
acceptance of them.
It's predicted that in the next two to three years there
will be pilot programs in a moderate number of urban areas in which
members of the public can use autonomous vehicles for travel within
limited geographic footprints. More widespread public use is likely
to be five to ten years in the future, and even at ten years is not
likely to meet the "drive anywhere, in any weather
condition" standard.
