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WASHINGTON - The fear of self-driving vehicles is on the rise.
A new survey from AAA shows 68% of drivers say they are afraid of self-driving vehicles, an increase from 55% in 2022.
"We were not expecting such a dramatic decline in trust from previous years," said Greg Brannon, Director of Automotive Research for AAA. "Although with the number of high-profile crashes that have occurred from over-reliance on current vehicle technologies, this isn't entirely surprising."
AAA says the findings show the need for more knowledge surrounding the emerging self-driving vehicle technology and highlights a gap in consumer understanding.
For example, the group says nearly one in 10 drivers believe they can buy a vehicle that drives itself while they sleep. Currently, no vehicles allow the driver to fully disengage from driving.
The survey also shows that 22% of Americans expect driver support systems, with names like Autopilot, ProPILOT, or Pilot Assist, to have the ability to drive the car by itself without any supervision.
Consumers, however, aren't entirely opposed to advanced vehicle technology.
AAA say six in 10 U.S. drivers would "definitely" or "probably" want Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in their next car purchase.
Examples of ADAS include blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking.