Assessing Drivers’ Trust in Automated Driving Systems: An Integrated Study

Abstract: At present, the automatic driving system is accelerating the evolution from L2 assistant driving system to L5 with the advanced automatic driving function in full scenarios. The drivers’ trust in automated driving systems has been proved to be one of the most important factors that affect drivers’ acceptance of automated driving technology. It is also a primary determinant of understanding how to promote productive interaction between drivers and automated driving systems. This paper presents two mixed-method studies that combine demographic and experimental methodologies to assess trust in AVs. 1131 drivers with different driving experiences were investigated on their initial trust in AVs through an online questionnaire. Twenty-six participants evaluated dynamic trust in six sessions of varying road complexity in an L3 automated driving simulator. Data collected included subjective measures of trust, behavior, and physiological measures through ECG and GSR. The results show that drivers’ initial trust related to individuals’ disposition includes age, driving years, gender, driving experience, perceived risks, acceptance of new technology, and the perception of risk. As well as drivers’ initial learned trust depends on the understanding of AVs technology, driving capacity, and the experience of AVs. The dynamic trust changes with the understanding of AVs performance and the external environment. For higher-risk events such as pedestrians and obstacles, the audible reminder can effectively enhance drivers’ situational awareness and trust as a strong reminder to supplement the visual channel in automated driving systems. These findings provide an effective basis for further research and design related to improving the trust in AVs.

Keywords: Trust in automation, Assessment, Automated driving system, HMI design, Situational awareness, Driving behavior

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002465

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