This UDV compact accident research report summarizes the second part of the project on takeover times and highly automated (level 3) driving. The summary of the first part has already been published as compact accident research report no. 57. Up to now there have been only a few studies that have shown how the duration of the drive and tiredness affect how drivers interact with vehicles with high levels of automation. It is suspected that the effects of tiredness do not lose their relevance to safety on the roads in partially (level 2) or highly automated (level 3) vehicles [1], [2]. Until drivers are no longer considered to be a fallback option, there will be times when control of the vehicle is returned to them. In such situations, the driver is required not only to take back control of the vehicle as quickly as possible but also to gain a full awareness of both the situation on the road and the state of the vehicle as quickly as possible. Tiredness or fatigue could be just as detrimental to drivers taking over after an automated driving phase as it is to tired or fatigued drivers of conventional cars, possibly even more so. How the tiredness of the driver develops when interacting with an automated vehicle is also of interest. The initial indications are that drivers get tired sooner when interacting with an automated vehicle and that having to continuously remain attentive in a monotonous driving environment may even be more of a strain than driving a conventional car. Tired drivers may behave differently from alert drivers when interacting with level 3 vehicles and neglect to monitor the situation properly or miss certain cues indicating potentially dangerous situations. The driving simulator study presented below was carried out against this background at the Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig) in 2016 in order to examine closely some of the parameters identified as relevant. The aim of the study was to quantify the tiredness of drivers in level 3 vehicles compared to those in conventional vehicles. Tiredness was systematically Insurers Accident Research measured and recorded both for drivers with a slight sleep deficit and for those without a sleep deficit. In addition, takeover requests were issued to the drivers, and their reaction times and the quality of their reactions to these takeover requests and to subsequent critical events were analyzed. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting