Will you ride in a self-driving car?

As automakers worldwide race to develop and test self-driving cars, a question pops up: Will you ride in a self-driving car? Or do you trust autonomous driving technology?

The 2017 U.S. Tech Choice Study released on Tuesday by J.D. Power, a U.S.-based global marketing information services company, finds that the percentage of people who do not trust autonomous driving technology is in proportion with their ages.

The study shows that 22 percent of consumers born after 1995 don't trust autonomous driving technology, the percentage for customer born in 1965-1976 is 34 percent, and for customers born in 1946-1964 the percentage is 44 percent.

The study also finds that more than 11 percent of consumers born in 1995-2004 and nine percent of consumers born before 1946 say they "definitely would not" trust the autonomous driving technology systems that control cars.

Some 17 percent of customers aged below 30 don't trust the technology, down from 18 percent in 2016; while 61 percent of customers who were born in 1946-1964 and don't trust autonomous driving technology say they would not ride in one.

This is the result of an online survey of more than 8,500 consumers conducted by the research company in January and February.

Generally, consumers are concerned about the added complexity, privacy issues and the self-driving car being hacked when it comes to an autonomous driving car, the study finds.

With self-driving cars expected to be on the road in four to five years, automakers now face the task of convincing consumers of the safety of autonomous driving technology.

According to SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) classification, a true level-four autonomous vehicle takes the driver fully out of the piloting process. A level zero vehicle is completely controlled by human drivers.

The autonomous vehicles that are being road tested at present are at levels one or two, which still needs human manipulation from time to time. Endit