Drivers’ trust in an autonomous system

Abstract

Drivers’ trust in automation will likely determine the extent that autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles are adopted, and once adopted, used properly. Unfortunately, previous studies have typically utilized overt subjective measures in determining an individual’s level of trust in automation. The current study aims to evaluate a covert behavioral measure of trust based on drivers’ body (head, hand, and foot) movements as they experience a simulated autonomous system. Videos of drivers interacting with an autonomous driving system in a driving simulator were coded. Body movement counts and average durations were derived from this coding and these data were compared across quartile rankings (based on self-reported trust) to examine body movements’ sensitivity to drivers’ level of trust. Results suggest body movements are not sensitive to individual differences in reported trust. Future work should further examine the utility of this covert behavioral metric by further examining situational differences.