1364387 - Public Perception of Shared Autonomous Vehicle Usage during Tornado Events

Technical innovation in recent years points towards the adoption of autonomous vehicles. This study aims to assess public perception about using shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) to access community shelters during tornadic events. A survey was developed and administered to over 1400 residents of Alabama. The tornado scenarios evaluated were ‘watch’ and ‘early warning phase.’ As part of these scenarios, SAVs were considered a free service or a paid service. The study estimated mixed logit models to account for unobserved heterogeneity in the data. Four separate models were developed to assess Alabama residents’ willingness to utilize SAVs to access a community shelter during a tornadic event. The model estimation results revealed that participants willing to share rides with strangers, men, and people concerned about traffic congestion, would be more willing to utilize SAVs, while most white and well-educated persons would be unwilling to use SAVs to go to shelters during tornadic events. Mobile home occupants and individuals with disabled members in the household would be more willing to use SAVs if there was a tornado watch, even though SAVs were considered a paid service. Furthermore, it was observed that participants who were inclined to seek shelter for future tornadic events would be more likely to use free SAV services in both tornado scenarios. The study findings are expected to give direction on the possible use of shared autonomous vehicles to get more people to safety during tornadoes.