DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS: GUIDANCE FOR DESIGNERS REGARDING HUMAN CAPABILITIES

In-vehicle systems, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Collision Warning are described by manufacturers as providing 'driver assistance'. The driver remains firmly responsible for safe control of the vehicle from the perspective of the system producer. However, research evidence exists that such in-vehicle systems may present the driver with situations in which system behaviour may not be reasonable with respect to human capabilities. This paper reviews appropriate first line guidance to inform non-human factors system developers and describes fundamental human properties of relevance to the in- vehicle system designer. The paper was originally produced as a contribution to an ISO standard Technical Report on driver warnings (ISO TC 22 SC13 WG8) and is submitted here to disseminate findings more widely. The paper provides an ergonomics primer for driver assistance systems designers explicitly addressing the physical, information processing and behavioural factors to ensure appropriate allocation of functions between vehicles and drivers. (A)