Over 75% of drivers would consider buying a car with autonomous capabilities, and the number jumps to 86% if doing so resulted in much cheaper car insurance, a new survey indicates.

The survey, conducted online in June by Insurance.com, polled 2,000 drivers, showed while people are open to the idea of autonomous cars, some reservations remain.

For example, 76% say they would not trust a driverless car to take their children to school, and 61% say a computer is incapable of the same decision-making in a car as a human. In fact, just 31% say they would let the computer drive whenever possible.

A story on the survey posted to Insurance.com, written by Mark Vallet, notes the two different approaches companies are taking toward the goal of autonomous cars: “Traditional automakers such as Nissan want to ease us into the computer-driven future as they slowly add autonomous features to traditional vehicles. Google, on the other hand, wants to plunge straight into the deep end with podlike cars that lack a steering wheel, gas pedal and brakes.”

Drivers seem to prefer the former option.

While only 24.5% of respondents say they would never consider an autonomous car (that drops to 13.7% if owning one resulted in cheaper car insurance), just 22.4% say they're “very likely” to buy a self-driving car (37.6% with cheaper car insurance.

For some, though, the future cannot come soon enough. The survey indicates 31.7% would not continue to drive once autonomous cars were available instead. Insurance.com Managing Editor Des Toups says in a statement, “Spend time in traffic anywhere and it's clear many people would rather be doing something else.”

And most drivers also recognize the automobile world is changing. Seventy-three percent say they don't think the cars of 2040 will operate in ways familiar to the drivers of today.

Special Reports /

Most are open to driverless cars, but wouldn't entrust their children to them

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