Influences of Combined Use of Level 2 Automated Driving and Manual Driving on Vigilance Decrements in Long Time Driving

Yoshiyama, Kohei; Doi, Toshihisa; Murata, Atsuo · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.5100/jje.58.2f4-04

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

**Summary** This study investigates the impact of combining Level 2 automated driving with manual driving on vigilance decrements during long-duration driving. While automated driving reduces driver workload, it can lead to decreased arousal and vigilance due to monotony. Conversely, manual driving over extended periods also causes vigilance decline. The research addresses the gap in knowledge regarding how alternating between these two modes affects driver attention, specifically in a 2-hour driving scenario where previous studies are scarce. The primary objective was to determine if a combined usage strategy could mitigate vigilance loss compared to using either mode exclusively. The experiment involved 10 healthy young adults (aged 21–24) with valid driver’s licenses who participated in a 120-minute driving simulation. Participants performed a primary tracking task (keeping the vehicle centered and maintaining speed between 75–85 km/h) during manual driving phases. During Level 2 automated driving phases, the system handled acceleration, deceleration, and steering, while participants maintained hand-on-wheel and performed a secondary vigilance task: identifying tail lights of overtaking vehicles. In this secondary task, 300 vehicles overtook the ego vehicle every 10 minutes, with 16 of them displaying tail lights for 0.2 seconds at random intervals. Participants were required to press a steering wheel switch upon seeing these lights. The study compared four conditions: (1) continuous manual driving, (2) continuous Level 2 automated driving, (3) a single switch from manual to automated, and (4) two switches from manual to automated. Performance was measured by miss rate (failure to press the switch) and reaction time, analyzed in 15-minute intervals. Results indicated that miss rates increased over time in conditions involving continuous manual driving (Condition 1) and continuous automated driving (Condition 2). In contrast, conditions involving a switch from manual to automated driving (Conditions 3 and 4) showed a decrease in miss rates immediately following the transition, suggesting a recovery of attention due to reduced workload. A two-way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between time and driving condition. Specifically, in the final 30 minutes (90–120 min), Condition 4 (two switches) demonstrated significantly lower miss rates than Condition 1 (continuous manual). Furthermore, Condition 4 showed no significant increase in miss rates over time, indicating that it effectively suppressed vigilance decrement. The study concludes that combining manual and automated driving, particularly with multiple transitions from manual to automated modes, helps maintain situational awareness and vigilance during long drives. Future research is needed to optimize the specific ratios and frequencies of switching between modes.

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.

Summary generated by qwen3.8-27b-gittensor on 2026-08-23; verification: pending re-verification.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• vigilance
• hands on hands off engagement
• automation complacency bias
• automation

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data