AUTONEWS

Researchers discover that something very simple can improve the safety of autonomous cars

A simulator study shows that the presence of a passenger can improve drivers' focus on the road and help them decide when manual control is needed in autonomous vehicles, but regaining control is still difficult.

Having a passenger in the front seat in the vehicle has been found to help give directions and prevent drivers from falling asleep in vehicles, but it also creates more distractions for drivers during periods of automation.

The findings come from a University of Nottingham study into the behavior of 17 drivers, each accompanied by a passenger in the front seat, who made a series of journeys in a driving simulator programmed to represent a so-called Level 3 automated vehicle.

In the vehicle automation hierarchy, Level 3 is known as conditional automation, where in certain circumstances the vehicle will fully drive itself and allow the person behind the wheel to perform another task, but in some scenarios will return control to the driver.

In the test, people spent a lot of time talking to each other and also using their technology, predominantly smartphones and watches, often showing content to each other. Some pairs watched movies together and even played online chess with each other while the car was driving.

On more than one occasion, the pair became so distracted in their activities that they missed the highway detour.

However, it was also observed that passengers were good moderators, encouraging drivers to remain aware of what was happening on the highway, even when they were not driving, and preventing them from taking a nap, for example.

When interviewed later, the passengers were “fully aware of the potential distraction they posed to the driver, recognizing that the driver was ultimately in control of the vehicle.”

Retaking control of the autonomous car was problematic: The researchers also noted that “vehicle control during the ten seconds immediately after resuming manual driving was generally poor for all participants.”

Drivers were seen braking and accelerating erratically, and swaying in their lanes shortly after regaining manual control of the vehicle, despite passenger support.

The study team believes that, in some cases, the exaggerated actions on the pedals and steering wheel may have been the driver demonstrating to the passenger that he is now truly in control.

The conclusions of this report will undoubtedly be very useful in guiding future studies on conditional automation and helping to make autonomous vehicles safer for use on the roads.

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