Innovation drivers for autonomous vehicles and mobile connective technologies in the UK: A study of technology acceptance factors

Abstract

Traffic levels have increased such that congestion is a major occurrence in many urban areas, creating uncertainty around journey times as well as more incidents with significant damage and accidents, placing lives at major risk. The research focuses on the development of mobile connective technology, such as vehicle to vehicle ( or vehicle to infrastructure ( where vehicle manufacturers have begun to devise real time travel information systems that may reduce traffic delays and the possibility to improve road safety and travel for vehicle users. Transport fleets have increased over time, leading to increasing damage and accidents, pl acing lives at major risk and creating uncertainty. Given this context, there is interest in using autonomous vehicles ( to improve efficiencies and safety in the transport sector for commercial journeys and passenger vehicles. While there is a growing body of literature on the acceptance of autonomous vehicles, the study of users' acceptance of emerging autonomous vehicles and connected technology is still in its infancy. This research is an important and timely contribution to this field, as it will explore the user perspective regarding relevant factors and the potential of connected technology to address the limitations of sensors for autonomous vehicles during adverse driving conditions. The study supplements the Technology Acceptance Model ( with driver context (from pervasive computing studies) and technology attributes ( trust, and safety) with some personal attributes to investigate non professional and professional drivers’ perspectives. The study's findings have significant im plications for developing and implementing connected technology in the transport sector. The study, which utilized an online survey to collect data from 203 users in the UK and analysed them quantitatively using statistical package for social sciences (SPS S) and Structural Equation Modelling ( The study results indicated that the factors that most influence users' perceptions of AVs were shown to be perceived usefulness, driver context, and trust, which demonstrates that TAM is still relevant to understanding users' attitudes towards AVs. In addition, it signifies the relevance of pervasive computing as a field of study that contributes to user perceptions of connected technology in terms of driver context. The practical implications of these findings a re vital, as they can guide the development and implementation of connected technology in the transport sector. It is strongly recommended that further research be conducted into individual attributes such as personal innovativeness to gain a more comprehensive understanding of users' attitudes towards connected technology and mobility. The generalisability of this study is limited by sample and UK specific attributes. Therefore, future research should aim to replicate this study in various geographical regions to assess the generalisability of the results. This ongoing research is crucial for keeping up with the rapid advancements in the field of autonomous vehicles and connected technology.