Effects of autonomy, traffic conditions and driver personality traits on attitudes and trust towards in-vehicle agents

In-vehicle agents can potentially avert dangerous driving situations by adapting to the driver, context and traffic conditions. However, perceptions of system autonomy, the way agents offer assistance, driving contexts and users’ personality traits can all affect acceptance and trust. This paper reports on a survey-based experiment (N=100) that further investigates how these factors affect attitudes. The 2x2, between-subject, video-based design varied driving context (high, low density traffic) and type of agent (providing information, providing instructions). Both type of agent and traffic context affected attitudes towards the agent, with attitudes being most positive towards the instructive agent in a light traffic context. Participants scoring high on locus of control reported a higher intent to follow-up on the agent's instructions. Driving-related anxiety and aggression increased perceived urgency of the video scenario.