American drivers, renowned as the laziest on Earth, are also refreshingly self-aware of their faults and limitations, according to a new survey commissioned by Ford.
Most Americans say they consider themselves to be careful drivers but admit they would welcome some extra electronic help when they're behind the wheel - but only 39 percent said they would be comfortable riding in an autonomous car.
Count us among the 61 percent majority on that one.
Recently, market researchers Penn Schoen Berland conducted a survey of American drivers over the age of 18 to learn more about their attitudes toward driver assist technology.
The drivers polled acknowledged their limitations: Nearly 50 percent admitted to having fallen asleep while driving or knew someone who had; nearly six in 10 blamed blind spots for accidents or near collisions and nearly four in 10 were scared of parallel parking
The survey found that the majority of drivers were interested in getting some extra features in their next car to help them avoid potential accidents.
“The drivers we talked to were definitely interested in features that provided practical benefits by alerting them to potentially dangerous situations.”
Nearly nine out of 10 of the survey respondents expressed interest in technology that could assist in slowing their car if it determined there was a potential collision ahead.
Two-thirds of the drivers who participated in the survey said they would be interested in systems that could help them see around other vehicles while backing out of a parking space and detect other vehicles that might be in a blind spot over their shoulders, while eight in 10 expressed interest in a system that could provide an alert or even help to keep the vehicle in its lane.
While respondents almost universally considered themselves to be safe behind the wheel, three-quarters admitted to eating or drinking behind the wheel and more than half said they'd used a hand-held cell-phone - and 83 percent admitted that either they or someone they knew had driven when very tired.