FocalPoint/YouGov survey highlights concerns of UK consumers regarding the impact on road safety of vehicles equipped with autonomous driving features

50% of respondents think cars with autonomous driving
capabilities could make UK roads more dangerous

50% of consumers stated that they do not envisage purchasing a car equipped with autonomous capabilities in the next 10 years

Car manufacturers urged to do more to educate consumers on safety features in autonomous driving vehicles

CAMBRIDGE, UK – A survey of 2000 UK consumers (78% motorists) conducted by YouGov and commissioned by FocalPoint, the provider of high-performance positioning technologies for vehicles, smartphones and wearables has revealed that fifty percent of those surveyed think that vehicles relying on cars with autonomous driving capabilities would result in UK roads becoming less safe.

Despite the many safety benefits of cars with autonomous driving capabilities, including advancing driving assistance capabilities, consumer adoption could be impacted by low levels of confidence in the technology, with only 24% of the consumers surveyed feeling that cars with autonomous capabilities would improve safety on the roads.

However, vehicles equipped with ADAS are growing in popularity. It is predicted that the global market for ADAS will increase from $27 billion this year to $83 billion by 2030, according to research by Markets and Markets, which represents an impressive 12% annual growth rate for semi-autonomous driving systems.

ADAS functionalities can change the driving experience. According to research by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, ADAS vehicles showed a 27% reduction in bodily injury claim frequency and a 19% reduction in property damage frequency.

One of the most significant concerns among UK consumers surveyed is the impact of illegal Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ‘spoofing’ on driver assistance and autonomous driving systems. Spoofing is a form of cyber attack that targets satellite positioning systems such as GPS. Spoofers attack vehicles by broadcasting fake satellite signals to override legitimate satellite signals, confusing the GNSS receiver and causing potentially harmful disruption to the vehicle’s positioning systems.

With autonomous vehicles reliant on accurate navigation, time synchronisation and coordination with other vehicles, spoofing also has the potential to disrupt multiple autonomous vehicles simultaneously and eighty-two percent of those surveyed believe that spoofing will have a detrimental effect on road safety as assisted driving applications and autonomous vehicles become increasingly available.

Commenting on the research Scott Pomerantz, CEO of FocalPoint, said: “Our automotive customers want to solve the critical issue of safely extending the availability of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) into more locations, especially cities. To achieve this, OEM’s need to have confidence in their positioning system.”

Scott Pomerantz continues: “At FocalPoint, we have developed groundbreaking SupercorrelationTM technology - S-GNSS® that enables a new class of performance and trust in a satellite positioning receiver. By measuring the direction of the incoming signals, it allows the receiver to ignore reflected signals as well as fake ‘spoofed’ signals. This makes them incredibly accurate and reliable in cities, and more resilient against spoofing attacks. FocalPoint’s unique technology can instantly detect fake signals as spoofers, ignore those signals, and pinpoint where in the physical environment the signal is coming from. It is the only consumer-grade product in the market capable of these unique features.”

About FocalPoint
FocalPoint develops groundbreaking technologies that boost the accuracy, reliability and security of radio receivers. FocalPoint partners with Chipset manufacturers and OEMs to enhance the capability of their devices, helping to improve the lives of billions of people who rely on location technologies including smartphones, wearables and autonomous vehicles.

Founded in 2015 by Dr. Ramsey Faragher, the company is headquartered in Cambridge, with offices in Bristol and the US. FocalPoint’s technologies are multi-award winning, including Security Innovation of the Year at the 2023 National Technology Awards and the Royal Institute of Navigtation’s Technical Innovation Award. The company was named Europe’s Hottest Spacetech Startup in 2020. Their research and technical teams are recognised by the UK Royal Institute of Navigation and the US Institute of Navigation.

Its Supercorrelation™ technology is in advanced trials with several major device manufacturers.

Investors include Molten Ventures, Gresham House, Passion Capital, IQ Capital, Cambridge Angels, Cambridge Enterprise and GM Ventures.

Media Contact:
James Lambert
Intelligent PR
james@intelligentpr.co.uk