Gender affects perception and movement times during non-critical takeovers in conditionally automated driving

The upcoming introduction of automated vehicles is expected to reduce the incidence of traffic accidents caused by human error. However, conditionally automated driving faces a significant challenge in that the driver must promptly take control when a request to intervene (RtI) is issued. Given this context, many studies have investigated the characteristics of the time it takes drivers to take control following an RtI and the factors influencing this time. It is also known that the driver's take-over response following an RtI is similar to the driver's braking response to the brake light of a lead vehicle or the yellow light of a traffic signal. Hence, findings on driver braking responses can provide valuable insights for take-over research. For example, gender was found to differentially affect perception time (PT) and movement time (MT), which are both subcomponents of the brake-response time in manual driving. Positive correlations were observed between these two times. These characteristics could be expected for PT and MT in take-over time (TOT) due to the similarities between braking and take-over responses; however, to the best of our knowledge, no study has yet examined these characteristics. Therefore, the present study was conducted to experimentally determine whether driver gender differentially affects the PT and MT, which are both subcomponents of TOT. Additionally, the correlations between these components were examined. This study provides novel insights into PT and MT during non-critical takeovers, facilitating a better understanding of TOT. Specifically, among drivers up to middle age, who were the target demographic group of this study, females tended to have a shorter PT, whereas males tended to have a shorter MT. This indicates that gender-specific approaches may be effective at reducing TOT, as gender is associated with differences in PT and MT. In addition, positive correlations were observed between PT, MT, and TOT. The correlation between PT and TOT indicates PT as an effective predictor of TOT. TOT data were collected in non-critical take-over scenarios, which are typical for conditionally automated vehicles. A total of 311 trials were performed using a driving simulator with 15 male and 15 female participants, resulting in 300 take-over data points. TOT was divided into PT and MT using video coding performed by two coders. Gender in this study was defined as being a biological male or female, and was obtained following the participants' permission. • Take-over time (TOT) was decomposed into perception time (PT) and movement time (MT). • Females tended to have a shorter PT, while males tended to have a shorter MT. • This tendency indicates that effective training to reduce TOT may differ by gender. • Positive correlations were found between PT, MT, and TOT. • The correlation between PT and TOT indicates that PT may be a predictor of TOT.