G4-4　Psychological evaluation experiment of driver in self-driving car

Abstract

The automobile is an extremely convenient form of transport and has contributed significantly to the advancement of society, but the spread of cars has also brought social problems such as reduced safety (traffic accidents), traffic congestion, and increased fuel consumption. In recent years, there have been expectations that self-driving technology can resolve these issues, and not only automotive manufacturers but also various IT firms in the US and Europe such as Google and Apple are racing ahead with their initiatives. However, little research has been conducted on how passengers feel about this kind of automated control.

In the experiment reported in this paper, three scenarios were selected from a collection named “Scenarios that make drivers feel anxious,” which had been extracted from a questionnaire with a large number of respondents. The three scenarios were “A. Merging traffic,” “B. Vehicle ahead braking suddenly,” and “C. Curves.” Two of the components (“Distance to other vehicles” and “Speed of vehicle”) were used as variables in a driving test performed using an autonomous vehicle simulator. The level of anxiety and whether or not it was acceptable were recorded for each variable using a questionnaire. A model was created for the relationship between the aforementioned variables and the sense of anxiety felt by individuals, and an “acceptable value” was computed in the form of “A distance (speed) of up to X is acceptable.”