UF & UAB’s Phase II Demonstration Study: Developing a Model to Support Transportation System Decisions Considering the Experiences of Drivers of All Age Groups with Autonomous Vehicle Technology (Project A3)
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Summary
This study addresses the gap in understanding how drivers of all age groups perceive autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies, specifically focusing on the impact of direct exposure to AVs on user acceptance. While previous research relied heavily on surveys, this project combined survey data with lived experiences using a Level 4 autonomous driving simulator and a Level 4 autonomous shuttle (AS). The research aimed to quantify perceptions of younger and middle-age drivers before and after exposure and to develop predictive models of AV acceptance facilitators and barriers by combining this new data with older driver data from a prior Phase 1 study. The methodology involved 106 younger (18–39 years) and middle-age (40–64 years) participants who completed baseline surveys and were exposed to both a high-fidelity RTI driving simulator and an EasyMile EZ10 autonomous shuttle. Perceptions were measured using the Autonomous Vehicle User Perception Survey (AVUPS), which assessed intention to use, perceived barriers, well-being, and overall acceptance. Statistical analyses included t-tests and two-way mixed ANOVAs to evaluate changes in perceptions over time and between exposure groups. For the second objective, four multiple linear regression models were constructed using combined data from 206 participants (including 104 older drivers from Phase 1) to identify predictors of AVUPS subscales and total acceptance. The results indicated that direct exposure to AV technologies significantly influenced driver perceptions. Regression analyses revealed that optimism and ease of use were positive predictors for intention to use, perceived barriers, well-being, and total acceptance. Driving difficulty significantly predicted perceived barriers, while miles driven negatively predicted well-being. The model for total acceptance explained 33.6% of the variance, identifying age (older), race (White), optimism, and ease of use as key positive predictors. The study also documented how demographics, life space, and driving exposure inform AV acceptance across the lifespan. The significance of this research lies in its provision of foundational data for mobility managers, policymakers, and industry partners to improve AV deployment strategies. By identifying specific facilitators and barriers to acceptance across different age cohorts, the findings offer actionable insights for enhancing user training, consumer education, and technology design. The study highlights that while AVs hold potential safety benefits, successful adoption requires addressing specific demographic and psychological factors, such as optimism and ease of use, to ensure equitable and effective integration of autonomous technologies into transportation systems.
Key finding
Optimism and ease of use positively predicted AV acceptance, intention to use, barriers, and well-being, while driving difficulty predicted barriers and miles driven negatively predicted well-being.
Methodology
mixed_methods
Sample size: 206
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: self report data, observational prevalence
- Methodological Resource: tool software