AAA Foundation tests safe and proper partial driving tech training

Research results from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (FTS) suggest that interactive in-vehicle training may be a “promising” approach for drivers to better learn about safe and proper use of partial driving automation technology.

A one-day workshop was held to gain insights from a multidisciplinary group regarding approaches to fostering driver engagement in formal training about partial driving automation technologies.

The strengths and weaknesses of each training approach, the importance of capitalizing on their strengths, and the necessity of ensuring consistency in any training approach were highlighted during the workshop.

FTS says it gathered participants’ general perspectives on training content, delivery mode, potential efficacy, and knowledge gaps, as well as their reactions to the training concepts, through presentations, discussions, and breakout groups. The results were used to develop draft training modules.

Before holding the workshop, the research team developed four training concepts — a booklet or flip-book, a video played on a screen in the vehicle’s center stack while parked, an in-vehicle demonstration by a live person, and interactive in-vehicle training designed to be performed while driving.

Four focus groups were conducted, during which drivers who owned vehicles equipped with partial driving automation systems shared their experiences learning to use the systems, their general thoughts on training for them, and their reactions to the draft training modules.

An on-road study was also conducted to assess drivers’ voluntary engagement with training in a realistic setting, FTS wrote.

Participants drove a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach E, which they were told was a prototype vehicle being studied, on a 107-mile route and were told to use the vehicle’s partial driving automation system.

“Training materials developed by the research team were made available but participants were not explicitly instructed to use them,” FTS wrote. “Half of the participants had access to an in-vehicle video that could be watched while the vehicle was parked. The other half had access to a series of short interactive training messages, which the driver was invited to play at preset locations along the route. All participants also had access to a simple flip-book placed on the front passenger seat. Participant engagement with the training was assessed using in-vehicle cameras and other data collection tools as well as a post-drive survey.”

The focus groups said they learned mainly through trial and error in the vehicle and/or with family or friends. They rejected the idea of an in-person demonstration, such as from dealership personnel.

The groups also said they wanted training to be broadly available, self-paced, easy-to-use, and to improve the transparency of how the technology works.

On-road study participants were significantly more likely to report using the interactive training than the video or the flip-book. More than 80% of those given access to interactive training completed most or all of it, and the majority appeared to pay attention to it, according to FTS.

In a post-drive survey, 66-74% said that they would use each type of training provided if it were available in a rental car.

FTS noted that the study did have several limitations and that there would be many challenges in developing market-ready interactive in-vehicle training.

For example, the researchers ensured the training wouldn’t be excessively distracting, plotted a fixed route where only light traffic was expected, and conducted it in specific locations deemed safe, such as areas without merging requirements.

“Such safeguards would be important but challenging to implement in a more general use case,” FTS wrote. “While the study attempted to create a realistic setting to examine drivers’ voluntary engagement with training, more research is needed to determine the extent to which drivers would actually engage with similar training in a true real-world context. Finally, this research focused on measuring drivers’ engagement with training; training efficacy was not examined and requires additional research.”

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