Driver inattention, distraction and autonomous vehicles

Autonomous vehicles are those in which at least some aspects of a safety-critical control function (e.g., steering, throttle, or braking) occur without direct driver input (NHTSA, 2013). Despite the increasing number of automated systems in vehicles over the past decade, automated vehicles are not yet capable of driving reliably and safely in all traffic scenarios and conditions. As a result, humans will need to take back vehicle control when the driving capabilities of the automated system(s) are limited, or systems fail. This automation-to-manual transition may be problematic if the driver is inattentive or potentially distracted by competing activities. This may compromise the driver’s ability to attend and respond to activities critical for safe driving (e.g., to respond to an unexpected pedestrian crossing the road ahead). The aim of this review is to highlight how driver inattention and distraction can adversely affect the safety of driving in autonomous vehicles, and to discuss current research and future research directions that will inform our understanding of this important human factors issue.