Effectiveness of Warning Signals in Semi-Autonomous Vehicles

The rise of automation in the automotive industry has ensured significant progress in vehicle safety and infrastructure. During the transition to full autonomy, the driver is often the redundancy and safety feature in the event of a hazard or automation error. Understanding driver behavior in the transition from non-driver to driver is important for safety. Proper handling of transitions will be more critical as these events become less common and users trust automated driving systems. This research investigates the case of SAE level-3 automated driving systems, where the driver need not constantly pay attention but is responsible for reaction during hazards. Findings include quantitative and qualitative assessment of various warning modes for a distracted driver responding to an automated driving failure situation. Driver response time and behavior for these events are compared to instances with minimal warning systems. The results offer insight into human-vehicle interfaces during the transition towards full autonomy.