Analysis of the Effects of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on Driver Behavior and Awareness Using a Driving Simulator

Abstract

The thesis was aimed at determining the effects of adaptive cruise control (ACC) on driver behavior and awareness using a fixed-base driving simulator. ACC provides enhanced assistance by automatically adjusting vehicle speed according to the headway preference selected by the driver. The first step was to define the qualitative and quantitative measures of driver behavior and awareness. A review of existing literature was carried out to determine similar studies. The literature revealed information on modeling the ACC in driving simulators and the effects of the ACC on driver behavior. Based on this, a methodology was developed consisting of six main tasks. First, participants were recruited and screened using a questionnaire. The questionnaire provided a quick way to select participants from a particular demographic and screen them for any medical conditions. The simulator was then prepared for the study by configuring the ACC, setting up the detection response task (DRT) device, configuring the distraction application, and designing events targeted to capture changes in driver behavior and awareness with and without the ACC. After configuring events, data were collected during the drive of the participants. Data were then reduced and prepared for a statistical analysis consisting of hypothesis testing and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The statistical analysis resulted in a few significant differences between the variables collected. Participants were observed to maintain longer headways, reach lower peak velocities, and react slower in some critical events when driving with the ACC. The data from the DRT showed a significantly lower cognitive load when participants were engaged in a secondary task and driving with the ACC when compared to driving without the ACC.