Autonomous cars to fuel binge drinking
More than a third of those questioned admit they'll ramp-up their drinking if they have access to a driverless car in the futureAutonomous cars in the future could trigger an alarming rise in binge drinking, according to a new study carried out by researchers in Perth.
After surveying 1334 Australians of legal drinking age, Curtain University found that 37 per cent of all those questioned said they would drink more if they had a driverless car.
A further 49 per cent of all respondents said they would use a self-driving car after consuming alcohol.
The study also highlighted that the younger the age the more likely the person had a positive attitude to autonomous vehicles, but also the greater the likelihood they would use a robotaxi or autonomous private car while drunk.
Researches from Curtain Uni found that, despite potentially fueling harmful binge drinking, the introduction of driverless cars is likely to reduce drink-driving rates – but they suggest the large number of those willing to drink excessively before using self-driving vehicles poses a new challenge for lawmakers.
Leon Booth from Curtain University School of Psychology warned that the benefits of autonomous vehicles "may be accompanied by an unintended negative consequence in the form of greater overall alcohol consumption due to increased availability of affordable and convenient transport".
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