Abstract
Partially automated vehicle technology is increasingly common on-road. While this technology can provide safety benefits to drivers, it also introduces new concerns about driver attention. In particular, during partially automated driving (PAD), drivers are expected to stay vigilant so they can readily respond to important events in their environment. However, using partially automated vehicles on the highway places drivers in monotonous situations and requires them to do very little. This can place the driver in a state of cognitive underload in which they experience a very small amount of cognitive demand. In this situation, drivers can exhibit vigilance decrements which impact their ability to respond to on-road threats. This is of particular concern in situations when the partially automated vehicle fails to respond to a potentially critical situation and leaves all responsibility to safely navigate to the driver. This paper reviews situations that lead to vigilance decrements and characterizes the different methodologies of measuring driver vigilance during PAD, highlighting their advantages and limitations. Based on our reading of the literature, we summarize several factors future research on vigilance decrements in PAD should consider.
Highlights
Vehicle automation offers promising benefits to drivers and can describe a number of different vehicle technologies despite potential confusion about exact definitions of “self-driving cars.” To help with classifying vehicle automation, SAE International has defined 6 levels of vehicle automation ranging from no automation to full automation (Table 1; SAE International, 2014)
This review focuses on levels 1, 2, and 3 which allow for the system to be responsible for the execution of part or all of the dynamic driving task but requires a human driver as a fallback
A recent analysis of an on-road higherlevel partially automated vehicle found that driver interactions with the vehicle were only required every 150 to 250 miles of driving (Corcoran et al, 2019). This means that drivers may spend extended periods of time not engaging with the vehicle. This sustained lack of interaction may cause a state of cognitive underload and in turn lead to vigilance decrements
Summary
Vehicle automation offers promising benefits to drivers and can describe a number of different vehicle technologies despite potential confusion about exact definitions of “self-driving cars.” To help with classifying vehicle automation, SAE International has defined 6 levels of vehicle automation ranging from no automation to full automation (Table 1; SAE International, 2014). Our use of the term partially automated driving (PAD) refers to SAE levels 1, 2, or 3. Level 1 automation (Driver Assistance) includes drivers assistance systems such as Adaptive Cruse Control (ACC) or Lane Keeping Assist (LKA). LKA monitors the lane markings on the road and helps steer the vehicle to keep it within the lane. Level 1 automation allows for only one of these systems to be active at a time. Level 2 (Partial Automation) allows for ACC and LKA to work at the same time. Level 3 (Conditional Automation) means the automated system can perform all aspects of the dynamic driving task which includes even more advanced versions of ACC and LKA along with other automated systems. During PAD drivers must monitor the vehicle and intervene in any safety critical event to which the automation does not properly
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