A driving simulator study was carried out to study driver behaviour in case of an Automatic Vehicle Guidance (AVG) system. Three types of transfer of control for leaving an automated lane were compared. Furthermore the effect of trust in the automated system on the relationship between AVG headway and driver comfort was investigated. The results showed that drivers are able to leave an automated lane even in case of high speed differences and high traffic densities. Unsafe interactions occurred in case of low speed in the manual lanes. An instantaneous transfer of control was preferred over a more supported and stepwise transfer of control. Increased trust in the reliability of the automated system did improve driver comfort, however it did not alter the monotonous relationship of decreasing comfort with decreasing headway.
Abstract