Identifying novice drivers in need of hazard perception ability improvement for takeover performance in Level 3 automated driving

Takeover performance is a crucial constraint on deploying Level 3 automated driving. Not all drivers can adopt appropriate strategies to take over vehicle control during safety-critical situations. The hazard perception abilities of novice drivers may cause individual differences in urgent takeover performance. This research examines the urgent takeover performances of novice drivers with different hazard perception abilities for takeover safety improvement. Forty novice drivers took over in urgent cut-in situations at a driving simulator. The hazard perception tests evaluated their hazard perception abilities. This study formulated moderating effect models based on experimental data. Results indicated that hazard perception ability indirectly affected the significance of the correlation between takeover reaction and steering behaviors. Drivers with improved hazard perception abilities are less likely to turn sharply on the steering wheel. In this study, 39.8% of the participants need to improve their hazard perception abilities. Their z-scores were longer than 0.002 in hazard perception tests. Findings can identify the individuals who need hazard perception training to enhance their takeover performance effectively.