Drivers’ Reliance on Lane-Keeping Assistance Systems as a Function of the Level of Assistance

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We investigated drivers’ willingness to allocate control to a lane-keeping assistance system as a function of the level of assistance. Operators were found to increasingly rely on automation with higher reliability. We assume a similar effect of the level of assistance on reliance resulting from operators’ perception of a reduced need to engage in automation controlled processes. Forty five participants drove in a moving base driving simulator wiTheither a lane-keeping control (LKC) system (high level of assistance), a lane departure warning (LDW) system (low level of assistance) or without lane-keeping assistance. The allocation of visual attention away from the road scene towards an in-vehicle display of a secondary task was used as an indicator of drivers’ reliance on the systems. We found that drivers diff ered significantly in their reliance on and trust in the LKC system. Individual driver characteristics, i.e., self reported driving style, had a significant influence on drivers’ trust. Drivers placed more trust in the LKC system the more they regarded themselves as anxious and unconfident drivers, and more trust in the LDW system the more they regarded themselves as unobservant drivers. A major conclusion is that self-reported driving style is an important factor to predict if drivers are prone to place their trust in, and rely on, higher level driving assistance. Study results call for transparency in the design of driver assistance systems to avoid false expectations regarding system capabilities. Functional system limits should be made easily identifiable for drivers in order to reduce the likelihood of overreliance.