Evaluating the shift of control between driver and vehicle at high automation at low speed: the role of anticipation

In the current study, we aimed to investigate deleg ation of control to and regain of control from a hi ghly automated assistance system at low speed in case th ere is a situation requiring driver involvement. Ad ditionally, we examined drivers’ acceptability and acceptance o f highly automated driving. More specifically, we investigated drivers' interactions with a traffic j am assist system. The main interest was to study wh ether anticipation of the future state of a situation inf luences drivers' regain of control. Anticipation wa s manipulated by varying the traffic conditions preceding the reg ain of control from the vehicle. The results indica te that anticipation of disengagement of the traffic jam as sist might facilitate drivers’ regain of control fr om the vehicle, although the effect was not statistically significa nt. Acceptance of the traffic jam assist, in terms of its usefulness, increased after driving with assistance of the system. We discuss the practical implicatio ns of the current findings.