Situational Awareness, Drivers Trust in Automated Driving Systems and Secondary Task Performance

TL;DR

This study investigates how enhancing situational awareness in automated driving systems influences driver trust and secondary task performance, demonstrating that increased awareness improves trust and multitasking ability.

Contribution

It introduces a manipulation of situational awareness through different information levels and shows its effect on trust and task performance in automated driving.

Findings

Higher situational awareness increases driver trust.

Enhanced awareness improves secondary task performance.

Trust moderates the relationship between awareness and performance.

Abstract

Driver assistance systems, also called automated driving systems, allow drivers to immerse themselves in non-driving-related tasks. Unfortunately, drivers may not trust the automated driving system, which prevents either handing over the driving task or fully focusing on the secondary task. We assert that enhancing situational awareness can increase trust in automation. Situational awareness should increase trust and lead to better secondary task performance. This study manipulated situational awareness by providing them with different types of information: the control condition provided no information to the driver, the low condition provided a status update, while the high condition provided a status update and a suggested course of action. Data collected included measures of trust, trusting behavior, and task performance through surveys, eye-tracking, and heart rate data. Results show that situational awareness both promoted and moderated the impact of trust in the automated vehicle, leading to better secondary task performance. This result was evident in measures of self-reported trust and trusting behavior.