Age-related differences in takeover performance: A comparative analysis of older and younger drivers in prolonged partially automated driving
DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2024.2352788
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
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Summary
This study investigates age-related differences in takeover performance during prolonged partially automated driving, specifically examining how older drivers compare to younger drivers when required to resume control after engaging in voluntary non-driving-related tasks (NDRTs). Motivated by the growing population of older adults and the potential for advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) to extend their mobility, the research addresses concerns that age-related cognitive and motor declines may impair older drivers' ability to safely execute takeover maneuvers. The study also explores whether older drivers’ lower susceptibility to drowsiness might compensate for these deficits and how voluntary NDRT engagement influences performance. The researchers conducted a mixed-design driving simulation experiment with 82 participants: 42 older drivers (mean age 65.5 years) and 40 younger drivers (mean age 37.2 years). Participants were divided into two groups: one maintaining constant road monitoring and the other allowed to voluntarily engage in a movie-watching NDRT. The experimental design included two hazardous events requiring takeover: one after 7.5 minutes of automated driving and another after a 30-minute interval designed to induce drowsiness. Data collected included eye-tracking metrics (fixation duration, saccade amplitude, PERCLOS), subjective drowsiness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale), ADAS usage, and takeover performance indicators such as takeover time, maximum resulting acceleration, standard deviation of lane position, and collision rates. Results indicated that older drivers exhibited poorer visual exploration, characterized by longer fixation durations and smaller saccade amplitudes, and used ADAS features like adaptive cruise control less frequently than younger drivers. Older drivers demonstrated inferior takeover performance, marked by longer takeover times, higher maximum resulting acceleration, and greater lane position variability. Although older drivers experienced less drowsiness than younger drivers during prolonged road monitoring, this advantage did not mitigate their poorer takeover outcomes. Furthermore, while older drivers engaged less in NDRTs, those who did showed impaired performance, including higher collision rates and longer takeover times. In contrast, NDRTs reduced drowsiness in younger drivers, sometimes improving their takeover metrics, but still resulted in worse performance compared to road monitoring in specific measures. The findings suggest that age-related cognitive and motor declines significantly hinder older drivers' ability to safely take over control in partially automated vehicles, particularly after prolonged periods of automation. The study concludes that older drivers should be discouraged from engaging in inappropriate NDRTs to reduce crash risk. Additionally, the results highlight the need for tailored interventions or system designs that address the specific challenges older drivers face during control transitions, as their lower drowsiness levels do not compensate for their reduced situational awareness and slower reaction capabilities.
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| archive | success | openalex | — | — | 5 | 2026-08-09 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 3 | 2026-08-10 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| enrich | success | semantic_scholar | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-08-09 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-nvidia | summ-v5 | 2 | 2026-08-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 10 | 2026-08-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-08-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-nvidia on 2026-08-10; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
- older drivers
- takeover transitions
- automation
- automation complacency bias
- hands on hands off engagement
- temporal
Information type
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- Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
- Methodological Resource: measurement protocol
- Theoretical Contribution: conceptual framework