How Does Adaptive Cruise Control Use Impact Driver Behaviors, Mental Models, and Trust and Perception in the System?

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), a system designed to support the vehicle’s longitudinal movement, maintaining a driver’s selected speed and gap between itself and the vehicle ahead, has been described and offered to drivers as a convenience system (e.g., McGehee et al., 2008), rather than as a safety system. Despite this description, ACC has the potential to have added safety benefits for the driver. This paper provides a review of the literature with respect to the current state of the research on the impact of ACC on human behavior related to driving and to examine the potential safety benefits, as well as current limitations, of ACC. We found that exposure and use of an ACC system impacts driver behavior, trust, understanding, and perception of ACC. Overall, research suggests that although ACC may have some safety benefits, these benefits can be contingent on how the individual uses or misuses the system.