Human factor aspects of situation awareness in autonomous cars – an overview of psychological approaches

Abstract

The aim of the article is to give an overview of human factor research in psychology applicable to autonomous driving. The study is centered around situation awareness, a widely used concept in human factor research regarding the operation of automated and semi-automated systems (and communication between autonomous vehicles and humans). A proposal is put forward for structuring situation awareness requirements for autonomous driving, which could be a starting point for defining such requirements, and may foster a discussion on the issues associated with the human factor in relation to autonomous driving. Two models of human error (the SHELL model and the Swiss cheese model) are also introduced, one of which represents an integrated approach of error in situations that involve humans working with complex machinery or instruments, while the other represents a more superficial viewpoint on the multicausal nature of errors. The present overview can provide an appropriate basis for a discussion about the role of the driver in autonomous vehicles, and the place of human factor research in the emerging field of self-driving technology.