Examining the takeover process for senior drivers in conditionally Automated Vehicles

While the consensus suggests that autonomous control is particularly advantageous for older drivers due to reduced driving workload, the challenges brought on by the takeover process may impose additional burdens on this cohort. This study aims to explore the takeover time and takeover quality of older drivers, examining how different driving conditions affect their performance compared to young and middle-aged drivers. By doing so, it seeks to pinpoint potential risks specific to this demographic segment. Seventy-two participants from three age groups— younger, middle-aged, and older drivers—were recruited, each completing eight takeover scenarios. This study addresses a gap in age-related takeover studies, which predominantly target young-old age drivers (65-74 years old), by focusing specifically on the old-old age group (75 + years old) characterized by heightened cognitive impairments. The result revealed that older drivers have significantly higher takeover time and lower takeover quality compared to younger and middle-aged groups. Older drivers exhibited greater use of acceleration and brake more frequently after takeover, and they had significantly higher lateral drifting. Furthermore, the non-driving related tasks distract older drivers more compared to drivers from other age groups. Highway and local roads, as well as curved and straight roads, affect drivers across all age groups similarly. The findings suggest that older drivers encounter enhanced challenges during the takeover process, particularly when non-driving-related tasks were presented during the automation control. Although automation provides convenience to older people, attention should be directed towards mitigating the additional risks associated with takeovers. This conclusion contributes valuable insights for the future customized design of takeover requests tailored to older drivers.