Report
Mapping Comprehension of ADAS across Different Road Users
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
10/2023
Abstract
Studies have documented gaps in drivers’ understanding of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS); however, there have been few attempts to map knowledge of vehicle technology across different driver characteristics, experiences, and perceptions. Other studies have identified groups of drivers who differ in their knowledge of technology as well as their confidence in their knowledge, including drivers who were lacking in knowledge, but also highly confident. The aims of the current study are as follows:
1. Explore the impact of technology proficiency, confidence, ADAS ownership, personal characteristics and demographics, on drivers’ mental models of adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane keeping assist (LKA).
2. Identify and characterize clusters of drivers based on results from the quality of their mental model of ADAS and their confidence in said knowledge.
The current study employed a national online survey that examined experiences with ADAS, learning preferences, and driving habits from 2,528 participants based on age, race, and gender. Road users’ understanding of ACC and LKA were evaluated using mental model assessments. Four distinct clusters (Weak Confident, Strong Confident, Weak Unconfident, Strong Unconfident) of road users emerged, based on road users’ mental models as well as confidence in their mental models revealing some important patterns pertaining to their consumer education preferences, use of ACC and LKA, and driving self-efficacy. Findings suggest that road users with a strong understanding of ADAS are younger and preferred relying on videos and the internet to find educational material compared to learning about vehicle systems from the owner's manual or by trial and error. Road users in the strong confident and weak confident clusters reported driving safer and had more positive perceptions of technology. They also reported higher levels of familiarity, trust, and ownership of ACC and LKA systems compared to the strong unconfident and weak unconfident clusters. While experience can aid drivers’ understanding about the systems, it may not necessarily lead to sufficient and accurate assessment on how the U.S. population is using ADAS. The current results also underscore the importance of targeted education about vehicle technology.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Mapping Comprehension of ADAS across Different Road Users
- Creators
- Justin Mason - University of IowaCher Carney - University of Iowa, The National Advanced Driving SimulatorJohn G Gaspar - University of Iowa, Iowa Technology InstituteWoon Kim - AAA Foundation for Traffic SafetyAlicia Romo - AAA Foundation for Traffic SafetyWilliam J Horrey - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Resource Type
- Report
- Publisher
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety; Washington, DC
- Number of pages
- v, 50 pages
- Copyright
- © 2023 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Grant note
- SAFER-SIM University Transportation Center Federal Grant No: 69A3551747131
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/2023
- Academic Unit
- Iowa Technology Institute; Driving Safety Research Institute; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9984809224502771
Metrics
6 Record Views