Age and gender differences in emergency takeover from automated to manual driving on simulator

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore how age and sex impact the ability to respond to an emergency when in a self-driving vehicle.Methods: For this study, 60 drivers (male: 48%, female: 52%) of different age groups (teens: aged 16-19, 32%, adults: aged 35-54, 37%, seniors: aged 65+, 32%) were recruited to share their perspectives on self-driving technology. They were invited to ride in a driving simulator that mimicked a vehicle in autopilot mode (longitudinal and lateral control).Results: In a scenario where the automated vehicle unexpectedly drives toward a closed highway exit, 21% of drivers did not react at all. For this event, where drivers had 6.2 s to avoid a crash, 40% of drivers crashed. Adults aged 35-54 crashed less than other age groups (33% crash rate), whereas teens crashed more (47% crash rate). Seniors had the highest crash rate (50% crash rate). Males (38% crash rate) crashed less than females (43% crash rate). All participants with a reaction time less than 4 s were able to avoid the crash.Conclusions: The results from the simulation drives show that humans lose focus when they do not actively drive so that their response in an emergency does not allow them to reclaim control quickly enough to avoid a crash.