Driving automation & changed driver's task - effect of driver-interfaces on intervention

Driving automation leads to a changed role for drivers, i.e. supervision, including now and then intervention - a role that humans are not particularly good at. New driver-vehicle interfaces can support drivers in their changed role. We tested three interface-concepts incorporating different type of stimuli to steer attention and evoke response. This study examined specifically the effects on driver-intervention to avoid collision after automation was terminated. Neither the audio-tactile interface combined with illumination, nor the audio-visual interface, revealed to provide additional intervention-support compared to a base-line audio interface. The results contribute to a better understanding of applying multimodality for developing adequate support and suggest that richer stimuli might negatively influence performance due to startle-responses and/or distraction. Richer stimuli feedback might however be beneficial within the broader spectrum of the changed driver's role (e.g. supervision) - for which further research is planned.