Teenagers know about self-driving cars, but they still want to drive, reports Nielsen. 
They don’t care what brand will drive self-driving cars. However, elementary school kids would like self-driving cars more than middle or high school kids.
Nielsen research found that while awareness of self-driving cars is strong, particularly among older youths (grades 9-12), more than 60% of American youths say they would prefer to do the driving rather than letting a car do it for them.
Research also shows that the older the youth, the stronger the preference is to do the driving. Nearly three in four high school age youths prefer to man the wheel while only just over half of elementary age youths feel the same way.
Young Americans don’t express any significant favoritism when it comes to which brands they’d prefer to make tomorrow’s self-driving cars.
In fact, young consumers’ overall interest in owning a self-driving vehicle made by a technology company is nearly as high as their interest in buying such a car from a traditional automaker. When we look at the opinions of different ages, however, we see that middle- and high-schoolers actually favor traditional vehicle makers.
The general optimism that self-driving vehicles can bring about safer roadways is largely dependent on the effectiveness of the technology. This real interest is guarded by the need to prove it first. That said, and considering the experiences today’s youth have had with new and different technologies in all parts of their lives, there appears to be belief among many that a self-driving vehicle can be achieved.