Drivers’ Age and Automated Vehicle Explanations

Abstract

Automated vehicles (AV) have the potential to benefit our society. Providing explanations is one approach to facilitating AV trust by decreasing uncertainty about automated decision-making. However, it is not clear whether explanations are equally beneficial for drivers across age groups in terms of trust and anxiety. To examine this, we conducted a mixed-design experiment with 40 participants divided into three age groups (i.e., younger, middle-age, and older). Participants were presented with: (1) no explanation, or (2) explanation given before or (3) after the AV took action, or (4) explanation along with a request for permission to take action. Results highlight both commonalities and differences between age groups. These results have important implications in designing AV explanations and promoting trust.