Understanding the importance of trust and perceived risk to the adoption of automated driving systems

Abstract

Automated Driving Systems (ADS) have piqued interest among researchers over the last few years. Notwithstanding, this technology is very new and therefore people are far from sold on the safety, or benefits of ADS, leading to uncertainty and distrust. This study extends the line of research by conjointly examining trust, risk and adoption theories in the pre-adoption stage of ADS. We developed a study among 311 European consumers using PLS-SEM. Results reveal that perceived behavioral control, performance expectancy and trust are salient antecedents of intention to use ADS, while perceived risk is not. Implications for practice and research are discussed.