Users' resistance towards radical innovations: The case of the self-driving car

- People face self-driving cars with both fascination and reservation.
- Openness towards self-driving cars correlates with both demographics and car use.
- People are willing to ride in a self-driving car but are not yet ready to buy one.
- Drivers do not trust self-drive technology to be safe and sophisticated enough.
- Results suggest launching the technology gradually to increase both safety and trust.

In this paper we unpack and examine attitudes and potential barriers of end-users towards the self-driving car. We explore whether drivers have (mental) barriers and/or show resistance towards the self-driving car and, given such barriers and resistance are identified, investigate the main underlying reasons. Further, we suggest potential strategic implications for automotive companies and avenues to overcome, or at least mitigate, drivers' barriers. The paper contributes to a better understanding of end-users' opinions on radical innovations such as the self-driving car and strives to add value by linking scientific insights from both psychology as well as innovation literature. Only a limited number of studies so far have dealt with the potential barriers of users towards the self-driving car; therefore, it is our intent to provide first empirical evidence to trigger further research and foster a broader discussion on this relevant topic.