The development towards autonomous driving is about to change our future mobility. Though there is public consent on perceived benefits of autonomous driving, potential drawbacks are also considered. In this survey, we focused on the user-centered assessment of autonomous driving in comparison of two traffic scenarios (“city” vs “highway”) using an online questionnaire. Participants were generally more affirmative in regard to using autonomous vehicles on the highway than in the urban area. Attributions measured on a semantic differential were more positive with respect to highway use. Motives regarding the use of autonomous vehicles differed between the scenarios, mainly in terms of the simplicity and complexity of the driving situation, with autonomous vehicles being considered feasible for highways but not for cities. However, some evaluation patterns were independent of the context, revealing controversial attitudes and perceived trade-offs in both scenarios. Participants indicated positive expectations regarding the novel transport experience, but also fears of use, mainly described in terms of control issues. Findings of this survey can be used in further research in the field of human-automation interaction and build the basis for education and communication concepts to increase public awareness.

1. 1.

   Note: The scenario description was translated from German. 50 km/h is a maximum speed limit in German built up areas, corresponding to approx. 31 mph.

2. 2.

   Note: The scenario description was translated from German. 130 km/h is an advisory speed limit on German highways, corresponding to approx. 81 mph.

The authors thank all participants for their openness to share opinions on autonomous driving. Special thanks are given to Farina Heilen for research assistance. This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) within the funding guideline “Automated and Networked Driving” under the project APEROL with the funding code 16AVF2134B.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Human-Computer Interaction Center, RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 57, 52074, Aachen, Germany

   Hannah Biermann, Ralf Philipsen, Teresa Brell, Simon Himmel & Martina Ziefle

Corresponding author

Correspondence toHannah Biermann.

Editors and Affiliations

1. Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

   Heidi Krömker

A Appendix

City Traffic Scenario. Please imagine that you are driving in an autonomous vehicle in the city. You have already scheduled the start and destination of your trip. The vehicle system takes over all driving tasks. You are driving at 50 km/h^Footnote1 on a moderately busy road, with another vehicle ahead of you at a sufficient distance. A traffic light turns red, your vehicle stops and starts again when the light changes back to green, then turns right into a side street. After some time, you reach a crosswalk where a pedestrian wants to cross the street. Your vehicle stops for the pedestrian to pass and then continues driving (Fig. 4).

Photo collage illustrating a standard driving situation in the city.

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Highway Traffic Scenario. Please imagine that you are driving in an autonomous vehicle on the highway. You have already scheduled the start and destination of your trip. The vehicle system takes over all driving tasks. You are driving at 130 km/h^Footnote2 on a moderately busy two-lane highway, with another vehicle ahead of you at a sufficient distance. Your vehicle starts an overtaking maneuver, it swerves and, after completing the maneuver, rejoins the lane. After some time, you reach a slip road, another vehicle is in the acceleration lane. Your vehicle swerves again and rejoins the original lane after having passed the acceleration lane (Fig. 5).

Photo collage illustrating a standard driving situation on the highway.

Full size image

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