Driving Behavior Analysis: A Human Factors Perspective on Automated Driving Styles

Driving automation is being pushed towards widespread adoption, with significant progress being made continuously. Once the automated vehicle takes over the driving task, the question arises as to how people want to be driven by automation. In order to gain insights into this, a driving simulator study was conducted, in which N = 49 participants experienced an automated urban drive where pedestrians crossed or attempted to cross the road in front of the automated vehicle at various points. The driving style of the automated vehicle was manipulated (aggressive/defensive), while participants rated their desire for control, trust in automation, and acceptance. The results show that there is no general preference for one driving style over the other. Rather, the preferred behavior of the automation depended on the respective traffic scenario, with drivers preferring defensive driving in some crossing situations and aggressive driving in other situations. The present study indicates that, generally, defensive driving behavior is not necessarily the solution preferred by the user. Instead, a more nuanced approach based on the traffic scenario is recommended.