If you’ve ever sat behind the wheel and thought, “There’s no way I’d trust a car to drive itself,” you’re in good company. New Yorkers, it turns out, are among the most anxious in the country when it comes to the future of autonomous vehicles. Despite new U.S. safety regulations aimed at smoothing the road ahead, the conversation here feels more like a red light than a green one.
iSelect analyzed more than 600,000 online conversations across all 50 states about driverless cars, and New York stood out. Forty percent of the chatter from our state expressed fear, while 22 percent leaned toward anger. Excitement made up just 19 percent of the mix, and 12 percent revealed sadness. Put together, New York scored 67.5 out of 100 on the Self-Driving Worries Index, landing us near the bottom of the rankings at 48th place.
So what are we so nervous about? For many New Yorkers, it comes down to trust. Handing over control of a vehicle in unpredictable traffic, whether that’s weaving through Midtown Manhattan or navigating icy upstate backroads, feels like a risk we’re just not ready to take. Add in the recent shift in federal safety reporting, which now requires fewer detailed reports for minor crashes, and it’s no wonder residents worry that transparency is taking a back seat.
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Not everyone is against the idea. Nineteen percent of New York conversations did show excitement, with some people pointing out the potential for fewer human-caused accidents, less stress on long drives, or even more freedom for people who can’t drive themselves. Still, excitement lags far behind fear and doubt, reminding us that while the tech might promise a safer future, convincing everyday drivers is going to be a much longer road.
New York isn’t alone in its hesitation, but the level of skepticism here is striking compared to states where autonomous fleets are already visible, like California or Arizona. Meanwhile, states like Maine, Arkansas, and Montana top the “most worried” list, scoring in the 90s on iSelect’s index. It seems the less exposure people have to driverless cars, the more suspicious they become and New Yorkers, despite our bustling cities, still don’t see these cars in everyday life.

Gallery Credit: Jessica On The Radio
Gallery Credit: Kyle Matthews

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