Effects of explaining system failures during maneuver coordination while driving manual or automated

Area of Science:

• Human-computer interaction
• Automotive engineering
• Cognitive psychology

Background:

• Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) aim to enhance road user coordination during complex maneuvers like merging or left turns.
• Investigating driver behavior during system failures is crucial for safe integration of cooperative driving technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of system failures in cooperative driving systems on driver trust.
• To evaluate whether explanatory messages improve system acceptance following failures.

Main Methods:

• A simulator study involving 32 participants confronted with two system failure scenarios (loss of communication, traffic environment change).
• Analysis of subjective trust ratings, gaze data, and physiological responses.
• Evaluation of driver perception of system-generated failure explanations.

Main Results:

• Driver trust in the cooperative driving system decreased immediately after experiencing a system failure.
• No significant long-term negative effects on trust were observed.
• Explanatory messages were rated as appropriate in timing and content and perceived as helpful.
• Despite perceived helpfulness, explanations did not lead to increased system acceptance.

Conclusions:

• Cooperative driving systems can temporarily erode driver trust when failures occur.
• Effective, well-timed explanations can mitigate some negative trust impacts.
• Improving system acceptance requires addressing factors beyond mere explanation of failures.