Identifying the Factors Influencing Older Adults' Perceptions of Fully Automated Vehicles

Abstract

While Fully Automated Vehicles (FAVs) have the potential to significantly expand older adults' access to mobility, limited research has focused on older adults' perceptions of such technology. The current driving simulation-based study will investigate factors that may govern older adults' perceptions of FAVs with respect to trust, acceptability, and safety. Participants (65+) will experience scenarios of manual and fully automated driving in a high-fidelity driving simulator. Their perceptions of the FAV will be measured before and after the driving experiences using questionnaires. Physiological and behavioral data will also be collected throughout the driving sessions to investigate whether positive or negative perceptions of technology are associated with behavioral or physiological responses. In addition, driving performance and driving styles of participants will be captured during manual driving to investigate whether an alignment between an individual's driving style and the FAV driving style will lead to a more positive perception towards FAVs.