Multimodal presentation of local danger warnings for drivers: A situation-dependent assessment of usability

This study addresses how advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) should communicate with drivers, focusing on the local danger warning function. To achieve high-quality assistance, the communication mode needs to be adaptive to changes in driving situation (driver´s state, workload and environment). In a user study investigating different warning communication modes, drivers were required to assess the usability of each communication mode in five different driving situations. Results revealed that the driving situation significantly affected the perceived usefulness of each warning communication mode, mainly due to the use of modality. Moreover, regardless of communication mode, the local danger warning function was considered as the most useful in the low visibility situation and the least useful in the highly demanding driving situation. Findings of this study can be applied to the design of ADAS in general.