Perception of Safety of Automated Vehicles: Age and the Influence of the Source and Content of Safety-Related Messages

Automated vehicles (AVs) have the potential to improve road safety and improve transportation access, particularly for older adults. As a cutting-edge technology where few have personal experience, individuals' initial perceptions of the safety of AVs will likely stem from communications originating from various stakeholders. A survey instrument was developed to both implicitly and explicitly estimate how personal perceptions of AV safety are influenced by safety messages from different sources. The implicit measure revealed that younger adults were particularly influenced by positive safety-related information provided by average AV crash rates and official statements from AV companies. When measured explicitly, older adults reported a larger preference for safety-related messages from safety advocacy groups and a decreased preference for information from average crash rates and AV companies. Results are discussed in terms of how safety related messages from various stakeholders might be utilized to affect perceptions of AVs across adulthood.