Trust in Automated Vehicles under Normal and Drowsy Driving Conditions

One path to significantly reducing traffic deaths is the implementation of automated vehicles. However, the proliferation of automation relies on public acceptance, and debiasing can be a useful approach to persuade the public of the safety benefits of automated vehicles. The research team surveyed 186 adults about their comfort level on drowsy driving, trust in automated vehicles, and whether they would trust an automated vehicle if they were falling asleep at the wheel. Increased age and drowsy driving comfort level predicted a lower level of overall trust in automated vehicles, while only age predicted degree of trust in automated vehicles when sleepy. Participants’ trust in automated vehicles increased when considering the risky circumstance of nodding off at the wheel. Identifying other cases in which drivers would trust automation is one key to de-biasing overconfidence in one’s driving and increasing public trust of automation in situations when automation may be superior.