Influences of Different Traffic Information on Driver Behaviors While Interacting with Oncoming Traffic in Level 2 Automated Driving

Abstract

To practically apply level 2 automated driving in complicated conditions including intersections where events that require manual interventions occur frequently, it is necessary to consider the influences of provided traffic information on driver behaviors. This study performed driving simulator experiments to evaluate the effects of two kinds of information on driver behaviors while interacting with oncoming vehicles at intersections, of which static information informed drivers of the approaching intersections, and sensor information offered the real-time object detection results of the system to drivers. It was observed that the distances to oncoming vehicles at takeover decreased when only the static or sensor information was displayed, and it could be improved when both kinds of information were provided, compared to the condition when no information was offered. Meanwhile, drivers’ feeling of safety significantly increased with the presentation of both kinds of information. The results indicated that the combination of the static and sensor information might improve drivers’ feeling of safety during level 2 automated driving, without delaying drivers’ intervention.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This research was a part of a national project entitled “HMI and user education for Highly Automated Driving” supported by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, SIP-adus, and funded by NEDO. The project was also conducted based on Germany-Japan Research Cooperation on Human Factors in Connected and Automated Driving entitled “CADJapanGermany: HF.”

Notes on contributors

Bo Yang

Bo Yang received the Ph.D. degree in interdisciplinary information studies from the University of Tokyo, Japan. Currently he is a research associate at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo.

Takumi Saito

Takumi Saito received the bachelor’s degree from Kyoto University, Japan, and is a master student majored in mechanical engineering at the University of Tokyo, Japan.

Zheng Wang

Zheng Wang received the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan. He is a project research associate at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo.

Satoshi Kitazaki

Satoshi Kitazaki obtained the master’s degree from Kyoto University, Japan, in 1985, and Ph.D. from University of Southampton, UK, in 1995. He worked for Nissan Motor and University of Iowa before joining National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology as the Director of Human-Centered Mobility Research Center in 2015.

Kimihiko Nakano

Kimihiko Nakano obtained the master and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1997 and 2000, respectively. He was assigned Associate Professor of the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 2006 and has been promoted to Professor of the same university in 2018.