Fighting the need for speed

This is what BioMechanical Design student Timo Melman learned while conducting research on the systems (which are often referred to as ADAS) for his MSc thesis. He focused on a newer one called haptic steering guidance that uses assistive forces to help keep drivers within their lane on windy roads. Melman discovered that, while this ADAS is designed to improve their driving, it often encourages them to speed as well.

As with similar systems, this system causes what’s called adverse behavioural adaptation. Drivers tend to become overly reliant on them, which leads to them engaging in counter-intuitive activities that can be quite dangerous. In the case of haptic steering guidance, drivers start putting the pedal to the metal. “There are many different psychological theories that try to explain why people show behavioural adaptation, such as speeding,” Melman said. “Why people adapt in such a way remains difficult to explain because it depends on many other factors like personality, driver experience, the driver’s attitude towards the ADAS and, of course, on the design of the ADAS.”

Melman spent nine months working on the project and took a close look at driver simulator studies that have been conducted on haptic steering guidance. In one test, drivers who continually used the system on a 13.9 km road with curves drove, on average, 7 km/h faster than those who did not. Melman also collaborated with his colleagues and supervisors in the HFauto Project and the Symbiotic Driving Project and developed two systems that provide the benefits of haptic steering guidance without causing drivers to speed.

“I fully agree and believe that if we take these negative adaptations into account, we will be able to develop safer man-machine systems,” Melman said.

Melman, T., Does Haptic Steering Guidance Instigate Speeding?, Supervisors: Dr. D.A. Abbink and Dr. J.C.F. de Winter, Defence: June 3, 2016