A new YouGov survey has shown that consumer confidence in autonomous driving technology is at a critical junction, with 50% of respondents feeling that self-driving cars could make UK roads more dangerous.

The survey, commissioned by high-performance positioning technology provider FocalPoint, gathered responses from 2,000 UK consumers, of which 78% are motorists. A significant number of those polled also revealed that they have no plans to purchase a vehicle equipped with autonomous capabilities in the next decade.

While the automotive industry sings the praises of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) for their potential to enhance road safety, the survey found that only 24% of consumers agree.

According to Markets and Markets, the global market for ADAS is set to grow from $27 billion this year to an estimated $83 billion by 2030. These systems have been shown to reduce the frequency of bodily injury claims by 27% and property damage by 19%, as per research by LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

However, the survey also highlighted the fear of GNSS 'spoofing,' a type of cyber attack that targets satellite positioning systems like GPS, as a significant concern. These spoofing attacks have the potential to override legitimate satellite signals, causing potentially dangerous disruption to a vehicle's positioning systems. An overwhelming 82% of respondents believe that spoofing could have a detrimental impact on road safety, particularly as autonomous and assisted driving technologies become more commonplace.

Scott Pomerantz, CEO of FocalPoint, commented on the findings, saying, "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." He continued, "At FocalPoint, we have developed groundbreaking Supercorrelation™ technology - S-GNSS® that enables a new class of performance and trust in a satellite positioning receiver."

Founded in 2015 by Dr. Ramsey Faragher and headquartered in Cambridge, FocalPoint has developed technologies that promise to boost the accuracy, reliability, and security of radio receivers, making them more resilient against spoofing attacks.