How will Iranian behave in accepting autonomous vehicles? Studying moderating effect on autonomous vehicle acceptance model (AVAM)

The primary condition for society to benefit from autonomous vehicle (AV) advantages is the acceptance of these vehicles by people. In this regard, the factors which affect the acceptance of these vehicles among different countries should be identified. In previous studies, a major focus has been on developing autonomous vehicle acceptance models, neglecting the moderating variables' effect on these models. The main aim of this research is to investigate the effect of moderating variables including demographic characteristics, psychological characteristics, traffic experience collision, and travel/driving behavior on the autonomous vehicle acceptance model (AVAM). The AVAM was developed via structural equations modeling by participating 553 Tehrani citizens by extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. It was indicated that the negative relationship of the perceived risk on the intention of using AVs has been higher for individualistic people, culprit drivers with a history of more than one property damage-only collision, and those without a driving license. Also, the results showed that emphasis on the advantages and benefits of autonomous vehicles in collectivist people as compared to individualistic people would lead to a greater intention to use these vehicles.