Evaluating Older Drivers’ Reaction to Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) Under Conditions of Distraction Using a Driving Simulation

This report presents the findings from Phase 2 of a two-phase research project examining older drivers’ responses to Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) under cognitive distraction. Building on the foundational work of Phase 1—which included a comprehensive literature review, simulator scenario development, and experimental design—Phase 2 focused on participant recruitment, data collection, and behavioral analysis. The study investigated the effects of three ADAS configurations—Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), and a combined FCW+AEB system—on drivers aged 65 and older, under both distracted and non-distracted conditions, using a high-fidelity driving simulator. Key performance indicators included reaction time, braking behavior, and user-reported trust, comfort, and perceived reliability. Results demonstrated that cognitive distraction significantly delayed reaction times across all system types, underscoring the heightened vulnerability of older adults to attentional demands while driving. While the FCW+AEB configuration produced the fastest responses, differences between systems were not statistically significant. Subjective assessments revealed higher trust and comfort in non-distracted conditions, particularly with the combined FCW+AEB system. These findings highlight the importance of designing age-adaptive ADAS that balance automation assistance and driver engagement, enhancing both safety and user confidence among older populations.