Effects of External Distraction on Driver Take-Over Performance
Disciplines
Cognition and Perception | Cognitive Psychology | Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Self-driving cars are the future. However, the technology is imperfect, and it is sometimes necessary for the human driver to suddenly take control to prevent a crash. The goal of this driving simulator study is to determine the effect of the direction of external noise on the driver’s evasive steering direction. Our focus is whether the driver will turn the steering wheel toward the right or the left when the self-driving car is about to crash at a T-shaped intersection. The external noises will come from either the driver’s left or their right. We hypothesize that noise coming from the driver’s left will result in a right turn, while noise coming from the driver’s right will result in a left turn, because participants would want to defend themselves by moving away from the source of the noise as quickly as possible. Across eight trials, participants monitored a self-driving vehicle’s driving and were exposed to an unexpected external noise distraction just prior to crashing at a T-shaped intersection. The noise came from the right in four of the trials and from the left in the other four trials with a randomized order. Analysis of the data will reveal how the direction of external noises affects the direction of steering.
Keywords: automated vehicles, take-over performance, external distractions, noise distraction
Academic department under which the project should be listed
Department of Psychological Science
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Kyung Hun Jung
Effects of External Distraction on Driver Take-Over Performance
Self-driving cars are the future. However, the technology is imperfect, and it is sometimes necessary for the human driver to suddenly take control to prevent a crash. The goal of this driving simulator study is to determine the effect of the direction of external noise on the driver’s evasive steering direction. Our focus is whether the driver will turn the steering wheel toward the right or the left when the self-driving car is about to crash at a T-shaped intersection. The external noises will come from either the driver’s left or their right. We hypothesize that noise coming from the driver’s left will result in a right turn, while noise coming from the driver’s right will result in a left turn, because participants would want to defend themselves by moving away from the source of the noise as quickly as possible. Across eight trials, participants monitored a self-driving vehicle’s driving and were exposed to an unexpected external noise distraction just prior to crashing at a T-shaped intersection. The noise came from the right in four of the trials and from the left in the other four trials with a randomized order. Analysis of the data will reveal how the direction of external noises affects the direction of steering.
Keywords: automated vehicles, take-over performance, external distractions, noise distraction