Following a City Council-led public roundtable last month on autonomous vehicle testing in Washington D.C., Chamber of Progress released a poll showing deep resident dissatisfaction with transportation in D.C. – and broad support for exploring new technologies, including autonomous vehicles to ease transit problems.

Read the full poll results here

According to the survey, conducted in November by Morning Consult, D.C. residents overwhelmingly believe that autonomous vehicles would help several groups in the District, agreeing that AV expansion would benefit: 

• Workers who commute at atypical times (76%)
• Elderly people (73%)
• Residents underserved by Metrorail and Metrobus (68%)
• Disabled residents (66%)
• Women traveling by themselves (66%)

D.C. residents rated their top transportation safety concerns as:

1. Distracted drivers (93%)
2. Carjackings (85%) 
3. Impaired drivers (84%)
4. Rising rates of traffic fatalities (83%)
5. Public transit use at night (82%)

In response to these concerns, D.C. residents are open to new technologies that could lessen traffic fatalities in the District, with 84% saying that D.C. should research these new technologies. 

After learning more about AVs’ efficiency and lower emissions, a majority of residents (67%) agreed that D.C. should allow research into deploying AVs as part of its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2045.

“Washingtonians are rightfully concerned about rising crash rates on D.C. streets, and autonomous vehicles offer a promising solution,” said Chamber of Progress Director of Civic Innovation Policy Ruth Whittaker. “The evidence from other cities is clear: driverless cars are already outperforming human drivers on safety. More autonomous vehicle testing in D.C. means faster access to this proven, life-saving technology.” 

Earlier this year, Chamber of Progress released a pair of studies examining traffic fatality data in New York and California. The reports concluded that AV deployment could have saved more than 1,800 lives in the two states over the last five years.

###

Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future. We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.