In collaboration with the Institute of Automotive Engineering (FZD), the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (IAD) has recently published a new study that examines the initial contact of drivers with an automated driving system (SAE Level 3) under real-life conditions. The study, conducted with the Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot in the EQS, illuminates the impact of these initial experiences on the acceptance, trust, usability, and user experience of 30 participants with no prior exposure to such systems.

The findings indicate a notable enhancement in acceptance and trust following the initial interaction with the system. Notwithstanding the occasional difficulty in comprehending the communication of the ADS, the participants' overall evaluation was positive.

The study was published in August in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. Kai Storms and Steven Peters from the Institute of Automotive Engineering and Sarah Schwindt-Drews and Bettina Abendroth from the Institute of Ergonomics contributed to the publication. The article can be accessed via the following link: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10654663

Schwindt-Drews, S., Storms, K., Peters, S. & Abendroth, B. (2024). Acceptance and Trust: Drivers’ First Contact With Released Automated Vehicles in Naturalistic Traffic. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1109/TITS.2024.3443927