Trust and Driving Experience during Urban Highly Automated Driving: Impact of Driving Styles

Highly automated driving (HAD, SAE level 4) promises numerous benefits, e.g. safety and comfort. While being mainly researched on highways, a research gap remains regarding HAD in urban areas. Hence, the current driving simulator study examined how trust and driving experience (i.e. perceived safety, comfort, understanding of driving behaviour) are influenced by different driving styles (defensive vs. dynamic)during urban HAD. Results from 60 participants showed significantly higher trust and more positive driving experience with a defensive driving style, highlighting its potential to foster trust and support acceptance as well as adoption of urban HAD. Results also indicate a need for system transparency to increase understanding of the automated vehicle’s (AV’s) intentions, especially during execution of non-driving-related tasks (NDRT).