Critical Factors Influencing Acceptance of Automated Vehicles by Hong Kong Drivers

This study aimed to identify critical factors that influence acceptance of automated vehicles among drivers. The focus of this study was on automated vehicles (AVs) of level 3 (conditional driving automation) as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. A research model was proposed here by using the technology acceptance model (TAM) with trust, risk perception (perceived safety risk and perceived privacy risk), compatibility, and system quality. A cross-sectional structured questionnaire survey was used to collect quantitative data from 237 drivers in Hong Kong. The data were analyzed to test the proposed research model by structural equation modeling. The proposed research model was found to explain 68% of the variance in intention to use AVs. In contrast with the TAM constructs of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, the results of this study indicated that trust was the most important factor in shaping a positive attitude towards using AVs, which affected driver intention to use AVs. Also, trust was found to be influenced by perceived safety risk, compatibility, and system quality. This study is the first attempt to consider technological factors related to AVs (compatibility and system quality) in explaining AV acceptance among drivers and highlighted the importance of the technological factors in the context of driver acceptance of AVs. Based on the findings of this study, several recommendations are discussed to help AV developers and governments to improve driver attitudes towards adoption of AVs.