Commentary
Driverless Cars, Drinking Consumers Show Mixed Results
- by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, March 30, 2020
Unintended consequences can come along with innovations, including those around the Internet of Things.
Now it turns out there may be unexpected results in consumer behavior relating to self-driving cars.
On the upside, nearly half (49%) of potential drivers say they are likely to use an autonomous vehicle after consuming …
Chuck Martin is Editor of the AI & IoT Daily at MediaPost and writes the daily Connected Thinking column. He is a NY Times Business bestselling author and his latest book is “Digital Transformation 3.0” (The New Business-to-Consumer Connections of The Internet of Things.) He is CEO of Net Future Institute and a frequent keynote speaker internationally. Follow him on Twitter @chuckmartin and contact him at Chuck@MediaPost.com.
It's important to know precisely how "autonomous" was defined for people taking the survey. The writing implies Level 5 autonomy - no stearing wheel - but Tesla "Autopilot" is not remotely that. In fact, an intoxicated driver in a Tesla is just that - a drunk driver - because they are required to be able to take over whenever Autopilot disengages. So, if people are going to drink more because they have Tesla, that's a very scary conclusion.
If they meant Level 5 - well, that's at least a decade away, so the survey conclusion is a bit premature.
Points well taken, Dan. The concept of a "driverelss" car may not always be taken as Level 5 from a consumer's perspective, since not sure most even know what that is.
As a Non-drinker, i think it's comical to watch people intentionally get blitzed, and have to decided how to get home. So why would an Auto-tonomous car make a difference? they take a cab, an uber or designated driver. Why would the car driving itself make a difference if they would social drink or power flush?? Level 5 drinking won't even rationalize the options.