Evaluating Driver Reactions to New Vehicle Technologies Intended to Increase Safety and Mobility Across the Lifespan

015020882013Final ReportPDFTech ReportMITR23-4Technological innovationsVehicle safetyAutomated vehicle controlAged driversReaction timeBacking (Driving)ParkingWarning devicesStress (Psychology)Research HubHighwaysSafety and Human FactorsVehicles and EquipmentI83: Accidents and the Human FactorI91: Vehicle Design and SafetyAged driversAttitudesBacking (Driving)Driver support systemsUnited StatesNew England University Transportation CenterMehler, BruceMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUS Transportation CollectionPersonal vehicle manufactures are introducing a wide range of new technologies that are intended to increase the safety, comfort, and mobility of drivers of all ages. Examples range from semi-autonomous technologies such as adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts vehicle speed to maintain a safe headway distance from a lead vehicle to blind spot identification systems that provide operators with warning information on the presence of vehicles hidden from their field of view. While part of the challenge of developing and implementing such systems is technical, equally important considerations include the extent to which the general public is willing to trust these technologies appropriately and actually use the systems in ways that produce the intended benefits. This may be particularly the case for older drivers for whom many of these technologies represent significant challenges to their mental models of how to operate a vehicle and who may be less trusting of new technologies per se. This project evaluated drivers\u2019 reactions to a semi-autonomous system for parallel parking and a cross traffic warning alert system designed to warn drivers of encroaching vehicles when they are attempting to back out of a parking space. Both technologies are being promoted by the manufacturer, in part, as systems intended to reduce driver stress. Results of both studies are detailed in Reimer, Mehler and Coughlin (2010)