The purpose of the current study was to examine knowledge, understanding, opinions and experiences of drivers who own and regularly drive a vehicle equipped with selected technologies including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert or adaptive cruise control. Registered owners of selected model year 2016 and 2017 vehicles that included at least three of these technologies as standard equipment were mailed invitations to participate in an online survey. After confirming eligibility and reporting what technologies they actually had available on their vehicles, respondents were asked a series of in-depth questions about up to three of the technologies on their vehicle. A total of 1,212 eligible respondents completed the survey; in-depth data about experiences with specific technologies was obtained from approximately 500 respondents for each respective technology. Results indicated that the majority of drivers generally have favorable impressions of the technologies on their vehicles, trust them, find them helpful, would want to have them in the next vehicle that they buy and would recommend the technologies to others. However, many respondents - and in some cases the majority - demonstrated misperceptions or lack of awareness about what the technologies can and cannot do. Uncertainty and confusion may impact a driver’s usage of, comfort with and reliance on the technology. Additionally, the prevalence of drivers’ willingness to engage in other activities, look away from the roadway or rely on the technology to the exclusion of ordinary safe driving practices (e.g., not checking blind spots before changing lanes or backing up) may indicate lack of understanding or appreciation of the fact that these technologies are designed to assist the driver but that the driver is still required to be attentive at all times to ensure safety. Finally, few respondents reported seeking information about technologies from any sources beyond the dealership, owner’s manual and their own experience via trial and error; only about 1 driver in 10 reported seeking information on the internet and hardly any reported having sought information about technologies on government websites. More research is needed to determine how best to convey important information to drivers about the function, capabilities and limitations of technologies in their vehicles. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting