Analyzing the Maneuvering of Drivers during a Takeover Request from Automated Control with Driving Simulator Experiments

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the maneuvering of drivers during a takeover request from automated control with driving simulator experiments. With a focus on Level 3 autonomous vehicles and investigated the effect of conducting a second task and the traffic conditions on drivers’ behavior. This includes studying their eye movement before, during and after the mode switching from autonomous to manual driving. We also analyzed the effects of differences in surrounding traffic information provision. It was found that the time to grip the steering wheel was shorter when there was a second task than when there was no second task. Further, the time to grip the steering wheel and the ratio between gazing forward or at the video are affected by providing information regarding the need to pay attention to the surroundings when the driver is performing a second task in a situation with heavy traffic.