SIMULATOR-BASED HUMAN FACTORS EVALUATION OF AUTOMATED HIGHWAY SYSTEM

From a viewpoint of human factors, automated highway systems (AHS) can be defined as one of the newly developing human-machine systems that consist of humans (drivers and operators), machines (vehicles and facilities), and environments (roads and roadside environments). AHS will require a changed vehicle control process and driver-vehicle interface (DVI) comparing with conventional driving. This study introduces a fixed-based AHS simulator and provides questionnaire-based human factors evaluation results after three kinds of automated driving speed experiences in terms of road configuration, operation policies, information devices, and overall AHS use. In the simulator, the “shared space-atgrade” concept-based road configuration was virtually implemented on a portion of the Kyungbu highway in Korea, and heads-up display (HUD), AHS information display, and variable message signs (VMS) were installed for appropriate AHS DVI implementation. As the results, the subjects expressed positive opinions on the implemented road configuration, operation policies, and the overall use of AHS. The results of this study would be helpful in developing the road configuration and DVI design guideline as the basic human factors research for the future implementation of AHS.