Does Consumer Education With Responsibility Content Improve Drivers Understanding, Confidence, and Use of ADAS After an Over-The-Air Update

Objective This study explores whether consumer education (CE) with and without driver responsibility content improves drivers’ understanding and use of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). Background Research suggests that CE with responsibility content may improve driver understanding; however, how other forms of learning interact, such as experiential learning, remains unclear. Method Eighty drivers (21–76 years) participated in a CE study using a Traffic Jam Assist ADAS. The study was conducted as a 2 (CE content: CE with responsibility content and CE without responsibility content) x 2 (driver engagement instructions: hands-free and hands-on) x 3 (timing of mental model assessment (MMA): pre-CE, post-CE, and post-drive). Results CE with responsibility content did not significantly enhance MMA understanding or confidence beyond CE without responsibility content in this study ( p > .05). Regardless of responsibility content, drivers who received hands-on instructions consistently scored higher compared to hands-free instructions ( p < .01). MMA confidence rating decreased at post-CE for all conditions but only returned to baseline levels at post-drive ( p < .05) for drivers who received hands-free instructions. Conclusion Drivers who received hands-on instructions scored higher than hands-free at all; however, other forms of learning (e.g., experiential learning) may be necessary when the system substantially changes the driver’s role. Application CE may be enough to improve drivers’ understanding if an update does not alter how a driver interacts with the system, or how it aligns with their initial mental model.