Abstract:
The objective of this research is to investigate perception regarding autonomous vehicles in the European Union with a particular focus on travel time and safety perception. The core element of the study is a new concept called “travel time benefit”, which was introduced by the author as an expansion of travel time perception literature. This represents the research core of the work with an additional focus on safety perception as a secondary matter. A complete overview of the automotive industry latest trends and upcoming changes is provided as an introduction. A series of hypotheses are formulated based on previous studies in literature and applied to the newly introduced concept of travel time benefit. A sample of European Union citizens was used to fulfil a survey through Amazon Mturk with the goal of gathering primary data on the matter, to be then analysed with SPSS. Results are to be read as the current perception of autonomous driving technology. The main consequences are investigated, with a focus on additional time made available thanks to the fact of not having to drive, and added safety of the occupants. Findings of this research establish a useful market insight for the automotive industry huge upcoming autonomous vehicle revolution and add to the body of research on the topic in the European Union.
