• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, January 22, 2017

Self-driving cars are being developed and tested on one hand while many consumers have a wide range of concerns on the other.

When so-called autonomous vehicles arrive, consumers have various ideas on what would be acceptable for people in the car to do, since they won’t be driving.

The most acceptable activity would be talking on the phone, deemed OK by the majority (52%) of consumers in a new survey by Morning Consult.

The survey comprised an extensive questionnaire answered by 2,200 U.S adults.

However, while talking on the phone in a driverless car is acceptable behavior, most other activities are not. Here are the activities consumers say would be unacceptable in a driverless car:

• 75% -- Sleep
• 64% -- Watch TV or movies
• 64% -- Drink
• 61% -- Reading
• 55% -- Texting or email
• 39% -- Talk on the phone

Awareness of autonomous vehicles is high, with a large number (69%) of consumers having recently seen, read or heard something about them.

However, hearing about self-driving cars doesn’t necessarily mean people are in love with the idea. More (47%) consumers have an unfavorable view of self-driving compared to those (40%) who view them favorably.

While 23% said they would ride in one, 28% said they would not. However, many (42%) said they may in the future.

While consumers are reluctant to embrace self-driving cars, they are in favor of some of the other features of connectivity. Here’s how many are comfortable with cars automatically doing the following:

• 57% -- Brake to avoid accident
• 57% -- Make steering adjustments so car stays in lane
• 53% -- Drive on open roads
• 49% -- Change speeds
• 40% -- Drive on the interstate
• 37% -- Make turns
• 32% -- Automatically change lanes
• 32% -- Drive on roads in large cities

Videos and other marketing materials could make more consumers warm to the idea of self-driving cars. Here’s what would increase consumers’ comfort level:

• 53% -- Certification from a government agency
• 41% -- Having driverless cars and human-operated cars on the street at same time
• 52% -- Certification from an independent party
• 53% -- Manufacturer proof of 1 million miles driven in autonomous mode
• 52% -- Information detailing manufacturer safety process
• 57% -- Videos showing how the car reacts in different situations
• 57% -- Documents showing how car reacts in different situations

Developers and marketers of self-driving cars have plenty of consumer issues facing them on the road ahead. These concerns range from autonomous and current vehicles being on the road at the same time to technical failures. Here are the concerns with the following issues:

• 83% -- Glitches or technical errors
• 76% -- Vehicle being able to drive well
• 75% -- Having driverless and human-operated cars on the road simultaneously
• 75% -- Hacking and other cyber attacks
• 69% -- Safety of personal data, like location

In perhaps one of the most significant findings, many (47%) consumers say testing self-driving cars in towns or cities where they live would make them fell less safe.

For those connected features coming in new cars today, auto marketers have their work cut out for them. More (40%) consumers are unlikely for their next car to have automatic driving features than those who do (36%).

While self-driving technology moves forward, it’s not likely that the technology itself will be the main driver of autonomous vehicles.