Age Matters: Investigating Older Drivers' Perception of Level 3 Autonomous Cars as a Heterogeneous Age Group

Level 3 autonomous cars may benefit older and younger drivers, but their perspectives on the technology remain understudied. We employed a questionnaire and focus groups to examine the perceived trust, safety, and usefulness of older drivers as a heterogeneous age group (60-80 years old divided into four age groups) and younger (22-25 years old) drivers about Level 3 and the non-driving related tasks (NDRTs) they would perform. The 60-65 group was mostly resistant towards Level 3, whereas the 76-80 group saw it as a chance to stay mobile. All groups were eager to engage with NDRTs, however, prior to gaining trust they would not engage with highly distracting tasks such as reading. The 76-80 group stressed the importance of designing take over requests that consider their decline in physical and cognitive abilities. In this research, we highlight the importance of considering age-related needs in HMI design of Level 3 cars