Retaking Control Of Self-Driving Cars Risky

Retaking control of an autonomous car affects human steering behavior, according to a new Stanford study that may help in the design of future self driving vehicles. When human drivers retake control of an autonomous car, the transition could be problematic, depending on how conditions have changed since they were last at the wheel, researchers said. There is this physical change and they need to acknowledge that people’s performance might not be at its peak if they have not actively been participating in the driving. The trouble the drivers had getting used to different driving conditions was not enough to cause them to miss their turns, but it was noticeable in the researcher’s measurements and by watching them wobble the wheel to account for over and under steering. These challenges bring up the possibility that, depending on the particulars of the driver, the driving conditions and the autonomous system being used, the transition back to driver controlled driving could be an especially risky window of time.