Organisation: RAC Foundation & University of Nottingham
Date of Publication: June 2024
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre: 15 July 2024
Funded by the RAC Foundation and conducted by the University of Nottingham, this study reveals that passengers can enhance a driver’s focus and assist in deciding when to take manual control. However, they also introduce potential distractions during automated driving phases, with occupants often engaging in conversations, using smart devices, and watching films. Despite these distractions, passengers can help keep drivers alert, preventing them from falling asleep and providing valuable navigational support.
The research, involving 17 motorists navigating a driving simulator representing a Level 3 automated vehicle, also highlighted challenges in transitioning from automated to manual control. Drivers exhibited erratic braking, accelerating, and lane wavering in the first ten seconds of resuming control, suggesting a need for further investigation into these transition periods.
Click on the link below to access the report:
https://www.racfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/How-will-drivers-and-passengers-interact-in-future-automated-vehicles-Large-et-al-July-2024.pdf.