Study examines role of passengers in autonomous cars

A simulator study shows the presence of a passenger can improve drivers’ focus on the road and help them to decide when manual control is needed in self-driving vehicles, but taking back control is still difficult. Having a front seat passenger in the vehicle was found to aid in giving directions and prevent drivers from falling asleep in the vehicles, but also created more distractions for drivers during periods of automation.

The findings come from a University of Nottingham study for the RAC Foundation into the behaviour of 17 motorists, each accompanied by a front seat passenger, who made a number of trips in a driving simulator programmed to represent a so-called Level 3 automated vehicle. In the hierarchy of vehicle automation

Level 3 is known as conditional automation where, in certain circumstances, the vehicle will drive itself completely and allow the person behind the wheel to do another task, but in some scenarios it will hand back control to the driver.

Fully automated driving was only available on the motorway legs of the simulated trips.