Drivers’ behavior when driving vehicles with or without advanced driver assistance systems: A driver simulator-based study

Abstract

Automotive companies have been developing vehicles with advanced features that aid in various driving tasks. These features are aimed at enhancing safety by either warning the drivers of a potential hazard or picking up certain driving maneuvers like maintaining the lane or a constant headway. They are part of vehicles with driver assistance technology and are vital for the successful deployment of connected and automated vehicles in the future. However, drivers’ behavioral response when driving vehicles with such advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) compared to vehicles without ADAS may vary and is meagerly explored. This research evaluates drivers’ behavioral response to scenarios when driving vehicles with ADAS like lane departure warning (LDW), blind spot warning (BSW), and over speed warning (OSW) compared to vehicles without ADAS. Rural, urban and freeway driving scenarios were developed in a driver simulator and tested on 43 participants aged sixteen years to sixty-five years. The results show that ADAS influence driving behavior by making drivers less aggressive and harmonizing the driving environment. The influence of ADAS on the driver behavior was different in rural, urban, and freeway driving scenarios. The drivers’ behavioral response to scenarios varied with the lighting and weather condition as well as with the age, gender, and ethnicity of the participant. While ADAS help by reducing lane departures or speeding and enhance safety, an indirect influence on braking, turning, and car-following were also observed. The findings help assess driver behavior when driving vehicles with advanced features and build better systems.