Canada News Wire
News release
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, running from January 5-8, 2017, the reality of driverless cars on our roads will accelerate. But, how ready are Canadians to hand over the controls? Kanetix.ca has released new survey findings of Canadians’ attitudes on the (not so) futuristic vehicles.
One in four (26 per cent) of Canadians said they couldn’t wait for the day when driverless cars would be reality, up slightly from last year when 25 per cent said the same. Many drivers however remain neutral on the idea, with 56 per cent saying it would depend on the technology and how well it works, compared to 52 per cent last year. Only 18 per cent said no thanks, they love driving too much, down from 23 per cent.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the younger demographic, age 18 to 34, are the most excited about driverless cars, with 36 per cent saying they can’t wait for the day.
“Technology is continually improving and innovating, and we’ve already seen auto manufacturers incorporate self-driving safety aspects in some existing vehicles, such as automatic emergency braking (AEB) or sensors that temporarily control steering to avoid collisions,” said Andrew Lo, chief operating officer and tech expert at Kanetix.ca. “It’s still a jump for most people to make in terms of going completely driverless but
Canadians are interested in these improved safety features and, as a result, seem willing to slowly adopt more automated functions.”
Indeed, the survey finds that 59 per cent of Canadians would buy or lease a car with improved self-driving safety features; features like front crash prevention, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and blind spot detection to name just a few. Some features could even help lower auto insurance premiums.
“Some of these improved safety features have caught the eye of insurers,” explained Mr. Lo. “Aviva Canada recently announced that policyholders who drive vehicles equipped with AEB will be eligible to receive a 15 per cent auto insurance discount.”