A new AAA survey finds three out of four drivers are afraid to ride in a vehicle that drives itself. But many in the survey would, or already have, embraced some of the technology in the overall self-driving vehicle package.

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A reporter looks at a driverless car in California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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"Most Americans really are not revved up about the idea of self-driving vehicles," AAA spokesman Jim Lardear said.

Seventy-five percent say they are afraid to ride a robot, and 84 percent of those who turned thumbs down in the AAA survey cited trusting their own driving skills over the autonomous vehicle as the main reason why they would reject it.

Younger driver, however, had a different view. According to the survey, younger motorists are more likely to get into a self-driving vehicle. Lardear says baby boomers are more likely to be afraid than the younger generation of this technology.

"As motorists and drivers get more experienced with this technology, they are going to be much more willing to take it on," he said.

But conversely, Lardear says, "people who have been driving all of their lives, I think are going to have a little bit more difficulty in turning over the wheel than the younger generation, which is used to automation, and used to technology."

One of the more interesting aspects of the survey is the fact that many respondents said they like some of the features incorporated into autonomous vehicles. Lardear says some of those elements, such as auto parking, lane-keeping assist and emergency braking, are already in some higher-end vehicles. In addition, 61 percent in the survey said they want one of those features on their next vehicle, but on the other side of that, almost 40 percent said that they were either undecided or reluctant to purchase these newer driving and safety aids.

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5.

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