Adaptations in attention allocation: Implications for takeover in an automated vehicle

Automated technology in vehicles is increasingly changing and reducing the driving responsibilities for the human operator. However, these systems are still unequipped to handle many unexpected events and conditions. This study examined changes in driver attention allocation before and during exposure, and after removal of an active lane keeping system. Forty-eight drivers completed six drives across three separate days in a driving simulator. Thirty of the participants were exposed to an active lane keeping system and the remaining 18 participants (control group) were in a manual control group. An in-vehicle information system was used to measure willingness to engage in non-driving tasks. The number of secondary tasks completed, accuracy of these tasks, and eyes-off-road glance durations were measured. Participants exposed to the lane keeping system completed more secondary tasks under the partially automated conditions compared to manual, while accuracy of these tasks did not change. These participants also had longer eyes-off-road glances after returning to manual driving conditions, relative to their baseline measures. These results show that adaptations in driver attention and risk perception carry over after returning to manual control.