Effects of Traffic Conditions on Driver Takeover Performance and Situational Awareness

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impacts of oncoming traffic density, surrounding vehicle configuration, and driving lane on drivers' takeover performance and situational awareness in conditionally automated driving. We conducted a driving simulator experiment with 28 participants. Our results showed that high oncoming traffic led to shorter takeover response time and lower situational awareness. Drivers tended to brake more aggressively and had lower collision risks when the traffic was on the front side, and drivers were more likely to ignore traffic from behind and behind side when taking over. Taking over in the right lane on a two-way road led to lower collision risks and smoother driving compared to the left lane. Our results have valuable implications for the design and development of driver monitoring and support systems to improve the safety of conditionally automated vehicles.