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Alert! Automated Vehicle (AV) System Failure – Drivers’ Reactions to a Sudden, Total Automation Disengagement

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Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation (AHFE 2020)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 1212))

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Abstract

Despite the “driverless” term, drivers of automated vehicles still constitute an integral part of the human-machine team that will be driving the future. This study emphasized drivers by evaluating the attentiveness, stress levels, and reactions of 67 participants, ages 18–65+ years, during a sudden, total disengagement of automation in a driving simulator-based rural freeway setting. Attentiveness was characterized by a significant increase in gaze fixation and a significant decrease in fatigue, yet stress levels did not appear to significantly change. Regardless of age, gender, or level of non-driving related task involvement, participants reacted to the failure first by steering, requiring 12.30 s (50th percentile) to 29.26 s (90th percentile), followed by speed control after 18.26 s (50th percentile) to 40.86 s (90th percentile). These findings highlight the need for addressing the potentially dangerous implications of automation failure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Russ College of Engineering and Technology, Ohio University, 28 W Green Dr., Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Sarah El-Dabaja, Deborah McAvoy & Bhaven Naik

Authors
  1. Sarah El-Dabaja
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  2. Deborah McAvoy
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  3. Bhaven Naik
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bhaven Naik .

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  1. Boldrewood Innovation Campus, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Neville Stanton

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El-Dabaja, S., McAvoy, D., Naik, B. (2020). Alert! Automated Vehicle (AV) System Failure – Drivers’ Reactions to a Sudden, Total Automation Disengagement. In: Stanton, N. (eds) Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation. AHFE 2020. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1212. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50943-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50943-9_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-50942-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-50943-9

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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