Assessment of Driving Proficiency When Drivers Utilize Assistance Systems—The Case of Adaptive Cruise Control

Abstract

Driver assistance systems (ADAS), and especially those containing driving automation, change the role of drivers to supervisors who need to safeguard the system’s operation. Despite the aim to increase safety, the new tasks (supervision and intervention) may jeopardize safety. Consequently, safety officers address the need for specific training on ADAS. However, these tasks are not assessed in driver licensing today. Therefore, we developed a framework to assess in-practice driving proficiency when drivers utilize ADAS. This study evaluated whether the proposed framework is able to identify meaningful differences in driving proficiency between driving with and without assistance. We applied the framework to perform a qualitative assessment of driving proficiency with 12 novice drivers in a field experiment, comparable to a license test. The assistance system concerned Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). The test showed that driving with ACC has a negative influence on self-initiated manoeuvres (especially lane changes) and sometimes led to improved adaptations to manoeuvres initiated by other road users (like merging in traffic). These results are in line with previous research and demonstrate the framework’s successfulness to assess novice drivers’ proficiency to utilize ADAS in road-traffic. Therewith, the proposed framework provides important means for driving instructors and examiners to address the safe operation of ADAS.