Inefficient or poorly-designed systems can diminish the potential safety benefits of vehicle automation. Despite this being a critical issue in road safety, little has been done to develop ways to optimize driver’s use of driving aids.
In a recent study, Dr. Biondi contributed to the design of a driver training system that leveraged the principles of precision teaching to help drivers learn the capabilities and limitations of automated driving aids.
Precision teaching is an educational technique that takes frequent measurements of the human behavior, and feeds this information back to the learner so that they can optimize their learning.
In the study, Dr. Biondi presented drivers information about the state and functioning of a lane keeping assistance system - a system that helps maintain the vehicle within the lane. When the vehicle was safely within the lane, positive feedback was sent to the driver. Vice versa, when the vehicle drifted off the lane, warning signals were shown.
Results showed that the drivers who received the training made better and safer use of the system. Additionally, such behavioral improvements were maintained over time even when the training was no longer provided.
This indicates that the adoption of sound Human Factors practices yields effective and safe adoption of autonomous systems.
References
Biondi et al. (2020). Precision teaching to improve drivers’ lane maintenance. Journal of safety research.