AAA Shares New Report On Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is sharing the details of a new report on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Researchers say while these systems support drivers with some driving tasks, some drivers may lack the appropriate knowledge about how they work which can result in misusing or mistrusting the technologies,  especially in "situations beyond the capability of the system" or what AAA calls "edge cases".  AAA says past research suggests that driver knowledge of these systems may be improved through exposure to ADAS-related driving situations

The new project, a cooperative agreement between the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the SAFER-SIM University Transportation Center, focuses on Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). ACC automatically adjusts your vehicle's speed to the speed of the car in front of you in highway driving.  AAA says the project examines the impact of different numbers and types of edge-case events on drivers’ understanding of ACC technology, their trust, their workload, and their use of the systems after driving with ACC.

Researchers recruited sixteen drivers, aged between 21 to 54 years (mean = 29.6; SD = 4.2) for this longitudinal driving simulator study. They were exposed to different driving and edge-case situations using a driving simulator in a laboratory setting, which presented almost no safety-related risks. 

You can read the full technical report and fact sheet here, but here are some of the project's key findings:

• Drivers’ understanding of ACC improved as they gained more experience and exposure to the system, which researchers say underlines the importance of experience and familiarity with ADAS for safe operation.
• Researchers say one practical implication that can be taken from this study is that when introducing ADAS-equipped vehicles to new users, an effective strategy should consider targeted exposure to different situations either through direct experience or through training.

Click here to visit the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety website.

Photo Credit: Honda.