# Exploring the Evolution of Autonomous Vehicle Acceptance through Hands-On Demonstrations
## 4 Results and Discussion
### Discussion  
This section aims to further expand the findings that have been presented in this document, with the intention of contrasting the results of the different surveys that have been studied. The first, and most obvious, of all the conclusions that can be inferred, comparing the results of the survey on first-time users and future users, is that being able to test an autonomous vehicle first-hand reduces user rejection, which in users who have not tried an AV is around 50%; conversely, this value rises to values above 80% when we ask users who have tried these vehicles. This demonstrates the premise that these types of demonstrations and activities, aimed at attracting users to these technologies, are justified.  
This discovery, indicating a 30% increase in acceptance for a technology as complex, intimidating, and disruptive as autonomous driving after a firsthand experience, highlights the remarkable effectiveness of bridging the gap between technology and society through hands-on demonstrations.  
We hope that this finding encourages other laboratories and autonomous vehicles' developers to showcase their work to the general public, beyond conferences and publications, to demonstrate that this technology is real, is safe, and is not intended to take away our freedom to drive but to make our lives easier. Because, as evidenced by this study, the more informed individuals are, and once they can actually test an autonomous car and sit in it, the less rejection they feel towards it, and the more open they are to integrating it into their lives. This holds significant importance as even the most groundbreaking technology is rendered worthless if society is unprepared or unwilling to embrace it. Therefore, this stands as the most crucial conclusion we wish to convey from the conducted study.  
Figure 10: Expectations on the insurance premium of autonomous vehicles among future users.  
Furthermore, it has also been found that this technology is better accepted when there is no risk to human life, as demonstrated in Section 4.3 of the article. This information is valuable for stakeholders in autonomous vehicles as it suggests that a strategic point of introduction for autonomous driving into society could involve deploying autonomous vehicles that do not transport people and pose minimal risk in case of malfunction, such as small delivery robots.  
On the other hand, another discovery made is that it is important to note that these adaptations towards autonomous driving have to be made with care, with the intention of avoiding generating further rejection by the users. This is corroborated by the surveyed users who have had accidents in the last 10 years since many do not seem to be interested in using these systems (only 34%, despite the fact that they can increase their safety). Similarly, the percentage of users dissatisfied with ADAS systems remains high at 14% of those surveyed who had such a system.  
Finally, and related to insurance cost projections, there is a general expectation of a reduction in insurance premiums, despite the extra costs that these advanced systems entail, which concludes that future insurance policies must anticipate and ensure that these systems are indeed statistically safer, in order to incorporate them into insurance premiums. Once again, this underscores the significance of bringing autonomous vehicle technology closer to end-users. A noteworthy observation is that individuals who have not tested an autonomous vehicle and are unfamiliar with the concept tend to believe that insurance policies should be cheaper for AVs. This misconception indicates a lack of awareness about the substantial costs associated with such vehicles. This reiterates the importance of educating society about this technology since the lack of knowledge of this technology not only leads to rejection but also fosters unrealistic expectations.