Drivers’ Trust Model while Using In-Vehicle Traffic Lights in a Partial Deployment Scenario

Abstract

In-vehicle information systems have been demonstrated as an effective method to provide driver assistance. However, few studies were focused on drivers’ trust while using these systems in different situations. An in-vehicle traffic light system was proposed in our previous research to assist drivers in crossing unsignalized intersections, by displaying virtual traffic signals inside vehicles based on vehicle to vehicle communications. Nevertheless, previous studies assumed that all the vehicles were equipped with vehicular communications, of which the deployment might actually last decades. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the application of the system in a partial deployment scenario. As a driver assistance system, the effectiveness of the system highly relies on drivers’ trust on it. This study, therefore, proposed a drivers’ trust model based on the decision making process. Driving simulator experiments were performed, to investigate drivers’ initial trust and the change of trust on the system while experiencing successful and failed usages of it. Regression analysis was then conducted with the simulated and observed data to validate the model while using the system in partial deployment situations. The results indicated that the proposed model could be suitable for the prediction of trust in partial deployment scenarios.