Towards a method for getting a grip on societal impacts of automated driving

Impact assessment of automated driving is challenging due to uncertainties in how automated driving will develop as well as a lack of evidence of the system level impacts based on real conditions in the real world. Especially, there is a lack of realistic on-road field operational tests of long-term impacts on how automation will affect our lives. Therefore, other approaches need to be used in order to assess potential impacts on the society and quality of life. This paper proposes a systematic methodology gathering and combining data from different sources: limited pilot tests, online surveys, expert and stakeholder interviews, focus groups, literature and modelling. The impact path framework developed by experts from the EU, US and Japan was used as a basis. Future studies can use the methodology to help determine the sizes and directions of impacts