Human Factors Considerations for the Design of Level 2 and Level 3 Automated Vehicles

The success of automated vehicles ultimately hinges on how well they meet their users’ needs. The study and application of human factors throughout the automated-vehicle design cycle can yield a safe, useful, and reliable technology that does what its users want. This paper reports on a breakout session of the 2014 “Automated Vehicles Symposium” aiming to present the state of automated-vehicle human factors research and how it is being applied in the development of automated vehicles. Discussions were framed around two Transportation Research Board (TRB) Research Needs Statements that pertained to Human Factors research on automated vehicles. The two needs statements were officially balloted by TRB and covered: (1) the transfer of control between levels of automation or back to manual driving, and (2) the misuse and abuse of automated vehicles. Additionally, the group primarily considered issues associated with NHTSA’s Level 2 and Level 3 automation. The transfer of control discussions included designing for situation awareness, mental model development, and “failing gracefully.” For automation misuse, the consensus was that some drivers will unknowingly over-rely on the automation in situations that it was not designed to handle. For automation abuse, it was recognized that there will be a segment of the driving population who will knowingly improperly and unsafely use the automation for personal gain. Therefore, any design of Level 2 or Level 3 systems that require the driver to be in the loop or brought back into the loop should include feedback and possibly forcing functions that prevent unsafe vehicle operation. Ultimately, the attendees unanimously agreed that human factors methods should be employed early and iteratively in the design cycle to achieve this goal.