These two states show heavy demand for self-driving cars

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Self-driving cars are the source of much discussion and debate, but two states have spoken and they can't wait for autonomous vehicles to hit the road.

An ongoing Volvo survey notes that nine of every 10 New Yorkers and 86% of Californians think self-driving cars would make life easier, reports Mashable. That same survey said 69% of Texans and 62% of Pennsylvanians think that autonomous vehicles offer numerous advantages.

The poll is part of Volvo's "Future of Driving" survey, and the company says that nearly 50,000 people have responded to its questions about self-driving cars.

Of course, this information gains new context with the news that the first self-driving car death may have just occurred in 2015 Tesla Model S.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, projects that fully autonomous cars will be on the road by 2019, but a lack of standard government regulation is one of the major barriers to getting these vehicles out there.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) should release regulatory guidelines for self-driving cars this summer, but the administration has said it would let states create their own regulations for these vehicles in addition to the NHTSA guidelines.

This could create a jumbled regulatory mess that would be difficult for manufacturers to navigate. But increasing public demand for these cars could put pressure on government officials to optimize their regulatory process and remove this hurdle.

John Greenough, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, has compiled a detailed report on self-driving cars that examines the major strides automakers and tech companies have made to overcome the barriers currently preventing fully autonomous cars from hitting the market. Further, the report examines global survey results showing where fully autonomous cars are highly desired.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Three barriers have been preventing fully autonomous cars from hitting the road: 1) high technological component prices; 2) varying degrees of consumer trust in the technology; and 3) relatively nonexistent regulations. However, in the past six months, there have been many advances in overcoming these barriers.
• Technology has been improving as new market entrants find innovative ways to expand on existing fully autonomous car technology. As a result, the price of the components required for fully autonomous cars has been dropping.
• Consumer trust in fully autonomous vehicle technology has increased in the past two years.
• California became the first US state to propose regulations. California's regulations stipulate that a fully autonomous car must have a driver behind the wheel at all times, discouraging Google's and Uber's idea of a driverless taxi system.

In full, the report:

• Examines consumer trust in fully autonomous vehicles
• Identifies technological advancements that have been made in the industry
• Analyzes the cost of fully autonomous technology and identifies how cost is being reduced
• Explains the current regulations surrounding fully autonomous cars

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1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the emerging world of self-driving cars.