It practically drives itself: autonomous vehicle technology, psychological attitudes, and susceptibility to risky driving behaviors

Abstract

This study examines how favourable attitudes towards autonomous vehicle technology and automation-induced complacency relate to unsafe driving behaviours using semi-autonomous vehicles as an exemplar. The sample consisted of 441 college students and a repeated measures design was used to examine the relationships between psychological attitudes and susceptibility to risky driving behaviours across three scenarios. Linear regression analyses were conducted for hypothesis testing. Study 1 showed that favourable attitudes towards autonomous vehicle technologies were not significantly associated with susceptibility to risky driving behaviours. Study 2 replicated this finding, however, automation-induced complacency was significantly associated with susceptibility to risky driving behaviours. Additionally, evidence was found for the incremental validity of automation-induced complacency over favourable attitudes towards autonomous features. In distinguishing favourable attitudes towards autonomous features from automation-induced complacency, future research and policy-making can separately address these constructs for the promotion of traffic safety and policy-making. Practitioner summary: We aimed to assess inclinations towards risky driving behaviours in semi-autonomous vehicles. Using vignettes, we found that favourable attitudes towards autonomous vehicles are not associated with risky behaviours, but automation-induced complacency was. Our findings suggest policies like educational programs can be implemented to prevent misuse of semi-autonomous vehicles.