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.
The limited pilot projects over the next few years may prove to be tourist attractions, as well as provide transportation to local residents. If this occurs, there may be positive word of mouth buzz to offset the surges in safety concerns whenever there is an autonomous vehicle accident.
You can read the rest of our insurance predictions here.
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