Pnina Gershon Presents on Public Attitudes toward Automated Vehicles at TRB ARTS 2024
by Adam Felts
AgeLab Research Scientist and AVT co-director Pnina Gershon was a speaker at the 2024 TRB Automated Road Transportation Symposium, taking part in a plenary session that focused on communication with the public about automated vehicle technologies.
An ongoing national survey of the public conducted by the AgeLab and J.D. Power tracks the public's perceptions and acceptance of automated vehicle technologies. Those surveys consistently uncover results showing a widespread belief among the public that self-driving cars are currently available for purchase today - which is not the case - suggesting confusion about what technologies are available in the marketplace.
However, people who live in regions where automated vehicles are currently being tested tend to have more correct knowledge about the functionality and availability of such vehicles. People who live in areas with operating AVs also tend to be more accepting of the technology. Given these findings, Dr. Gershon recommends providing clear definitions of driver assistance systems, explaining the capabilities of the automation, and highlighting its value. She also discussed how exposure and positive experiences serve as building blocks for public acceptance of driving automation.
Dr. Gershon also discussed the AgeLab's AVT research, which investigates how drivers of vehicles outfitted with assistance technologies behave behind the wheel. There is a wide spectrum of interactions between drivers and driver assistance systems, from faithful adherence to the intended use of the technology by the user to flagrant misuse and abuse of the system - the latter cases often being highlighted in public forums such as social media. Between these extremes one finds a diverse array of behaviors, as drivers explore what is possible and reasonable to do behind the wheel of cars that have become increasingly - yet far from entirely - automated.
Dr. Gershon presented alongside experts in industry and academia, including Laura Fraade-Blanar of Waymo, Alexandra Mueller of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and Annika Larrson of Volvo Trucks.
Learn more about the symposium here.
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