What can automation do for us?
Mark S. Young, Neville A. Stanton · 2023
On this final stage of our journey, we turn to consider how automation could (or should) be best exploited to improve safety, efficiency, and performance on our roads. For the first leg, this chapter considers impairments of human performance as a means of identifying areas where automation can usefully assist. Such impairments are divided into transient and permanent, and the chapter offers a detailed literature review in each of these areas. Transient impairments are largely associated with workload or distraction, the sources of which may be internal to the vehicle (e.g., mobile phones, satnavs) or external (e.g., roadside advertising). Even automation itself can be a distraction – or, more likely, facilitate a driver&s;s distraction (or ‘inattention’) through engaging in non-driving tasks. Longer term impairments may be associated with perception (e.g., eyesight) or cognition (e.g., ageing). Through understanding these impairments in more detail, the chapter closes by identifying specific applications of driving automation that may be able to compensate. Whilst we are cautious not to advocate the (ab)use of these systems as an excuse to drive when not fit to do so, we also feel there is room to exploit the technology with the aim of making the road system as safe as possible.