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A METHODOLOGY TO EVALUATE DRIVER ACCEPTANCE
Transportation Research Board
Annual Meeting
January 15, 2002
Mary Stearns
Wassim Najm
Linda Boyle
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
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Evaluation Goals for
Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI)
Crash Avoidance Systems (CAS)
Understand safety benefits
Determine driver acceptance
Characterize performance and capability
Assess deployment potential and price
Address institutional and legal issues
Determine driver acceptance
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IVI
Designing a technology to fit the perception, cognition, and behavior of the entire citizenry, in a safety critical function
Drivers are provided with additional in-vehicle information, which might, unless carefully designed, compromisesafety and efficiency
Human factors conditions become a dominant consideration in design and development
IVI Business Plans, 1997, 2000
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Driver Acceptance
depends on:
The degree to which drivers can use products successfully
Perceived usefulness to the driver
Potential for market acceptance, considering usability and product cost
NHTSA Strategic Plan 1997
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Driver Acceptance
Methodology
Objectives express driver acceptance elements
Sub-objectives specify objectives
Measures to rate each sub-objective
- pre- and post-Field Operational Test (FOT) surveys
- FOT vehicle data, video clips
- focus groups
- controlled experimentation
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Driver Acceptance Objectives
Ease of use
Ease of learning
Adaptation
Desirability perceived value
Affordability (Advocacy)
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Measures - Ease of Use
Ready Usability
- "How hard was it to use CAS controls?"
- What was the Incidence of erroneous activation of controls?
Support of individual variability
Awareness of CAS state, operational thresholds
Perceived demands on driver
CAS use patterns
Discriminability of alerts
Reaction to false/nuisance alarms
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Measures - Ease of Learning
Time to learn
Utility of instructions, training
Ability to retain knowledge of use
- "Did you feel you could easily recall CAS operation?"
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Measures - Adaptation
Allocation of control inputs, in-vehicle activities
Visual accommodation
- "Drivers Opinion of ability to judge location of distant vehicles/objects"
Alertness
Travel patterns
Behavioral adaptation
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Measures - Desirability
Perception of safety
- "Willingness to drive in adverse conditions"
Driving skill enhancement
Measures of vehicle control; i.e., road position error
Seamless system integration
Reduced workload
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Measures - Affordability/Advocacy
Willingness to endorse CAS
- "Willing to recommend CAS use to family/friends?"
Interest in purchasing CAS
Amount willing to pay
Acceptance of CAS in rental vehicle
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Successful adoption of IVI CAS Technologies and
attainment of anticipated benefits requires that:
There is a comprehensive understanding of driver acceptance issues
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