A report is out from IAM Roadsmart into how road users, motorcyclists and car drivers feel about self driving cars. The result finds that 60% of people polled thought that autonomous cars were not safe and posed a danger to other road users. The reaction was strong and autonomous tech was considered potentially as a 'serious threat ' to the safety of other road users. Women and older road users took up a position which was even more strongly against self driving cars, 66% were not in favour. However, what effect will this have on the forward movement of this tech? Probably very little if other tech introduction is anything to go by. It is predicted that in only around 15 years, 40 percent of new cars will have some self drive tech on board.

So how is this going to affect motorcyclists – here is an article we wrote some while ago which details how self driving cars, with sensors aplenty, might actually benefit people riding motorbikes by making SMIDSY accidents less likely. In theory autonomous vehicles might be able to bypass human error and the gaps in car drivers' vision which seem to occur when motorcycles are around, by seeing through the blindspots with the use of sensors and onboard cameras.

The director of Policy & Research at IAM, Neil Grieg says:
“Autonomous and automated vehicle technology is becoming an integral part of everyday motoring and while it does have the capacity to improve road safety, its capabilities must be fully understood to ensure we don’t over rely on them.
As an ever-increasing number of vehicle systems take on the tasks that drivers used to perform, IAM RoadSmart is calling for an understanding of automated features to be included in the UK driving test.”

Advocates for autonomous vehicles claim that they will make roads safer and bring multiple benefits to the UK economy including a potential 40,000 new jobs in Britain and a possible £42 billion by 2035.

So what do you think, are you looking forward to sitting back while auto Jeeves drives you around? Do you think we will be safer on our bikes with AI drivers sharing the road with us? Will this make us all safer on the motorways or are you one of the 60% who aren't sure?
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