Situation Awareness and Transitions in Highly Automated Driving: A Framework and Mini Review

Abstract

The human factors of transition in highly automated driving is becoming crucial, because transitions between the driver and the automation will remain a key element of automated driving until fully automated driving replace manual operation. This paper aims to suggest the framework to investigate human factors in transition of highly automated driving. The framework classifies transitions according to the transition initiator, control after transition, and situation awareness. Based on the framework, we retrieved previous studies and categorized their experimental designs. The inclusion criteria for the review were transitions which involved SAE level 3 automated driving and the research topics on driver behavior and/or performance during a transition. Finally, we interpreted the empirical studies on transitions using the proposed framework, and suggested areas for future research.