How Prior Experience With Automated Technology Impacts Perceptions of Autonomous Vehicles Among Midwestern U.S. Farmers

Abstract

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are widely considered to be the future of surface transportation in the United States, but little is understood about how people will interact with these vehicles, what they will use them for, and how they will impact our roads. However, farmers have been interacting with some degree of AV technology, primarily auto-guidance, in the Midwestern U.S. for at least the last 10 years. We use in-depth qualitative interviews to understand farmers’ experiences with using highly automated technology in order to inform adoption and diffusion patterns of AVs. The findings include implications for on-road AVs for technology adoption, infrastructure, AV users, and public policy which each hold relevance for engineers, planners, and policy-makers seeking to be proactive in preparing for AVs.