• mobilitylab.org site logo
  • Mobility Lab main menu search icon:  click to do a search
    • Understanding Transportation Demand Management
    • Transportation Demand Management In Action
      • Arlington Transportation Partners
        • The Practice of Transportation Demand Management
      • Information and Outreach
        • Commuter Services
        • Messaging
        • Champions Program
      • Learn more about TDM
        • Further Reading
    • Our Research
      • Travel Behaviors
        • Transit
        • Bike
        • Walk
        • Ridesharing
        • Micromobility
      • Arlington Analysis
        • Regional Surveys
        • Evaluations
        • Building Studies
      • Market Profiles
        • All Profiles
    • Transit Oriented Communities
    • Urban Planning
    • Resources
      • The Transportation Cost-Savings Calculators
        • ROI Calculator
        • TRIMMS 4.0
      • Research Data
        • Transit APIs
        • Archived Articles
      • Video Library
      • Infographics
      • Glossary Of Key Terms
    • About Us
      • Meet Our Team
      • Careers

Research

  • Home
  • Research
  • Ridesharing

So how do we feel about flying cars? – Vox

April 21, 2017

Since we recently published what appears to be Mobility Lab’s first-ever article on flying cars and whether they could ease East Coast traffic, it’s very convenient that a new survey details what people think about these Jetsons-like transportation options.

The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute released a new survey this week on this very topic. “A Survey of Public Opinion About Flying Cars” asks about a variety of things, some of which, I confess, never would have occurred to me. Among the topics: “likely benefits, major concerns, preferred source of energy, desirable minimum range, amount of flight-training required, takeoff and landing requirements, seating capacity, affordability, and overall interest in operating or using such vehicles.”

Perhaps the strangest finding is that only 65 percent of respondents are “familiar with the concept” of flying cars. My question is, once you hear the term “flying car,” what exactly remains mysterious about the concept? Seems like it’s all right there in the name.

As to the most likely benefit, the overwhelming pick was “shorter travel time,” with 75 percent (the next highest was “fewer crashes” at 10 percent). This also makes me wonder what people are thinking. The fundamental rule of traffic is that, as long as using roads is free, the number of cars will expand to fill the available roadways. Why wouldn’t the same hold true of airways? Why wouldn’t the advent of flying cars just recreate congestion in three dimensions?

… Finally, people generally prefer that both personally owned and shared (“taxi-like”) flying cars be fully autonomous, i.e., self-driving and -flying. Intriguingly, support for full automation goes up with age and is highest among those 60+.

Read the complete article at Vox.com

 
share this item

Subscribe to Receive Updates on the Latest Mobility Research and Trends

Arlington Virginia Department of Environmental Services

Arlington County Commuter Services (ACCS) is funded in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT)

ACCS Family of Sites
  • Arlington Transit
  • Arlington Transportation Partners
  • Bike Arlington
  • Capital Bikeshare
  • Car Free Diet
  • Car-Free Near Me
  • CommuterDirect
  • CommuterPage
  • Dieta Cero-Auto
  • The Commuter Store
  • Walk Arlington
  • Terms and Conditions
Follow Us
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • instagram

© 2025 Mobility Lab, a program of Arlington County, Virginia