Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Jul 2024)
Exploring the future: A meta-analysis of autonomous vehicle adoption and its impact on urban life and the healthcare sector
Abstract
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) represent a paradigm-shifting advancement with the potential to transform urban life, transportation, and safety standards. Their impact transcends conventional mobility, permeating industries like healthcare and shipping services. AVs operate autonomously, devoid of direct human intervention, and mark a pivotal juncture in transportation evolution. Our comprehensive meta-analysis employed the PSS (Product Related, Social Related, and Security Related) framework to discern the converging and diverging factors influencing individuals’ proclivity towards adopting AV technology. Scrutinizing 72 studies from 54 articles, with a cumulative sample size of 32,540, our research identified critical determinants of AV adoption: perceived usefulness, attitude, trust, safety, hedonic motivation, and social influence. Noteworthy, our study unveiled that these relationships were subject to modulation by factors like automation levels, vehicle ownership, and cultural nuances. Significantly, our findings shed light on a relative scarcity of incentives for widespread public acceptance of AVs. Our study provides empirical insights and theoretical contributions that offer valuable guidance for practitioners and policymakers navigating this transformative technological landscape. These recommendations are poised to steer the evolution of AV technology towards a more widely accepted and integrated future. In healthcare, integrating autonomous vehicles is a groundbreaking opportunity to elevate patient care and medical services. AVs can facilitate swift, precise transportation of critical medical supplies, enabling timely responses to emergencies and ensuring the availability of vital resources in remote or underserved areas. This advancement holds the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery, ultimately saving lives and enhancing the overall well-being of communities.
