Nearly half of Americans say they would not get in a self-driving taxi, according to a poll commissioned by the advocacy group Partners for Automated Vehicle Education. The poll, conducted online in February and March by SurveyUSA, found widespread skepticism and confusion about autonomous vehicles.

Of the 1,200 adults surveyed, 48 percent said they would “never get in a taxi or ride-share vehicle that was being driven autonomously,” while 21 percent said they were unsure about it. A fifth of respondents said that AVs would never be safe, and another fifth stated incorrectly that it is possible “to own a completely driverless vehicle today.”

“Americans have a lack of trust and a lack of knowledge about AVs,” said PAVE executive director Tara Andringa.

A coalition of autonomous vehicle developers and road safety groups, PAVE was founded in 2019 with the goal of informing the pubic about self-driving cars. Its members include Waymo, Cruise, and Argo — three of the leaders on Hyperdrive’s recently published Self-Driving Scorecard — as well as the National Safety Council, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the National Federation of the Blind.

The latest survey results echo previous polls that suggest a potential problem regarding consumer acceptance of self-driving cars. “Companies are putting huge investment into the development of AVs, but public opinion polls like this one show great skepticism, concern and distrust,” said Andringa. “The point of PAVE is to help bridge that gap.”

This is the first time that PAVE has surveyed public sentiment around AVs. The group plans to use the poll as a baseline to measure changes in sentiment and to help judge the efficacy of its education campaign, which includes holding driverless car demonstrations for the general public.