Driver Acceptance of New Technology: Theory, Measurement and Optimisation

Acceptance of new technology and systems by drivers is an important area of concern to governments, automotive manufacturers and equipment suppliers, especially technology that has significant potential to enhance safety. To be acceptable, new technology must be useful and satisfying to use. If not, drivers will not want to have it, in which case it will never achieve the intended safety benefit. Even if they have the technology, drivers may not use it if it is deemed unacceptable, or may not use it in the manner intended by the designer. At worst, they may seek to disable it. This book brings into a single edited volume the accumulating body of thinking and research on driver and operator acceptance of new technology. Bringing together contributions from international experts from around the world, the editors have shaped a book that covers the theory behind acceptance, how it can be measured and how it can be improved. Case studies are presented that provide data on driver acceptance of a wide range of new and emerging vehicle technology. Although driver acceptance is the central focus of this book, acceptance of new technology by operators in other domains, and across cultures, is also investigated. Similarly, perspectives are derived from domains such as human computer interaction, where user acceptance has long been regarded as a key driver of product success. This book comes at a critical time in the history of the modern motor vehicle, as the number of new technologies entering the modern vehicle cockpit rapidly escalates. The goal of this book is to inspire further research and development of new vehicle technology to optimise user acceptance of it; and, in doing so, to maximise its potential to be useful, satisfying to use and able to save human life.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Part I Introduction: Driver acceptance of new technology: overview, Michael A. Regan, Alan Stevens and Tim Horberry. Part II Theories and Models of Driver Acceptance: The definition of acceptance and acceptability, Emeli Adell, András Várhelyi and Lena Nilsson; Modelling acceptance of driver assistance systems: application of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, Emeli Adell, András Várhelyi and Lena Nilsson; Socio-psychological factors that influence acceptability of intelligent transport systems; a model, Sven Vlassenroot and Karel Brookhuis; Modelling driver acceptance: from feedback to monitoring and mentoring systems, Mahtab Ghazizadeh and John D. Lee. Part III Measurement of Driver Acceptance: How is acceptance measured? Overview of measurement issues, methods and tools, Emeli Adell, Lena Nilsson and András Várhelyi; Measuring acceptability through questionnaires and focus groups, Eve Mitsopoulos-Rubens and Michael A. Regan; The profile of emotional designs: a tool for the measurement of affective and cognitive responses to in-vehicle innovations, Robert Edmunds, Lisa Dorn and Lee Skrypchuk; An empirical method for quantifying drivers’ level of acceptance of alerts issued by automotive active safety systems, Jan-Erik Källhammer, Kip Smith and Erik Hollnagel. Part IV Data on Driver Acceptance: Case Studies: Driver acceptance of in-vehicle information, assistance and automated systems: an overview, Gary Burnett and Cyriel Diels; Driver acceptance of electric vehicles: findings from the French MINI E study, Elodie Labeye, Corinne Brusque and Michael A. Regan; User-centred design and evaluation as a prerequisite for the success of disruptive innovations: an electric vehicle case study, Roman Vilimek and Andreas Keinath; Motorcycle riders’ acceptance of advanced rider assistance systems, Véronique Huth; Driver acceptance of technologies deployed within the road infrastructure, Alan Stevens and Nick Reed; Operator assistance o