Driver and Passenger Interactaction in Future Automated Vehicles

16 July 2024

The presence of one or more passengers has been shown to distract drivers during manual driving, with reported reductions in situational awareness, an increase in the risk of taking unsafe actions, and an increased risk of a fatal crash, particularly in the case of young drivers.

The third of three studies the RAC Foundation   has commissioned from the University of Nottingham, investigates how human factors need to be taken into account in the design of systems providing conditional, semi-automation – vehicles where a human driver still has a part to play

This new report on semi-autonomous vehicles by University of Nottingham shows passengers can both enhance driver focus & introduce distractions. The simulator study also found participant’s experienced challenges in transitioning from automated to manual control.