“Peace of Mind”, An Experiential Safety Framework for Automated Driving Technology Interactions

Current automated driving systems assume drivers continuously monitor the vehicle. Meanwhile, fully automated vehicles aim at not requiring human intervention for their safely operation. The industry is currently debating how these novel systems can be certified under functional safety standards. In this paper, we argue that the current safety picture is not comprehensive enough, since it alienates users. We propose experiential safety as a complement to existing functional safety and to develop a framework for experiential safety interactions between the user and automation in automated driving environments. To support the experiential safety design model, we provide an overview of the user-centered research on experiential automation safety, which includes results from online surveys, personal interviews, and gamified group workshops. We explore current user behaviors by focusing on what makes them feel safe as drivers and passengers, and how unexpected events and automation responses might impact their perception of safety. Among the highlighted results, we show how mismatched expectations and unexpected behaviors from autonomous vehicles can lead to frustration and compromised trust. We also show how automation feedback to the user can generate stress and anxiety if not properly configured and how a cooperative relationship between automation and the driver leads to more satisfying driving experiences. Finally, we present guidelines for the experiential safety to be applied by automotive engineers and designers in their development of automated driving technologies.