Pleasure in using adaptive cruise control: A questionnaire study in The Netherlands

<b>Objective</b>: Adaptive cruise control (ACC), a technology that allows for automated car following, is becoming increasingly prevalent. Previous surveys have shown that drivers generally regard ACC as pleasant but that they have to intervene when the ACC reaches its operational limits. The former research has been mostly concerned with specific car brands and does not fully reflect the diversity of ACC types in traffic today. The objective of the present research was to establish the determinants of pleasure in using ACC. <b>Methods</b>: A 55-item online questionnaire was completed by Dutch users of diverse ACC systems. <b>Results</b>: Respondents (<i>N</i> = 182) rated their ACC highly, with a mean score of 8.0 on a scale from 1 (<i>extraordinarily negative</i>) to 10 (<i>extraordinarily positive</i>) and were most pleased with ACC on high-speed roads and in low-density traffic. Moreover, the findings point to specific operational limits such as associated with cut-in situations. Pleasure was greater for the types of ACC that are able to decelerate to a full stop, according to 48% of our sample. An analysis of the free-response items indicated that respondents who were displeased with ACC mentioned its occasional clumsiness and the dangerous situations it may evoke, whereas those who were pleased with ACC valued the complementarity of human and machine and emphasized the roles of responsibility and experience in using ACC. <b>Conclusion</b>: Pleasure in using ACC is a function of both technological advances and human factors.

**研究目标**：自适应巡航控制（Adaptive Cruise Control, ACC）作为一项可实现自动跟车的智能驾驶技术，正日益得到广泛应用。过往调研显示，驾驶员普遍认为ACC的使用体验愉悦，但当ACC达到运行极限时，驾驶员需手动介入干预。既往研究多聚焦于特定汽车品牌，未能全面反映当前道路交通中ACC类型的多样性。本研究旨在明确影响ACC使用愉悦感的决定因素。

**研究方法**：面向使用各类ACC系统的荷兰用户发放55题在线问卷，共回收有效答卷。

**研究结果**：共计182名受访者参与调研（*N* = 182），在1（极度负面）至10（极度正面）的评分量表中，其对ACC的平均评分为8.0，整体评价较高；受访者在高速道路及低密度交通场景下对ACC的满意度最高。此外，研究结果明确了若干具体运行极限，例如与车辆突然切入本车车道相关的场景问题。在受访样本中，48%的用户表示，能够减速至完全停车的ACC类型可带来更强的使用愉悦感。对开放式问答题项的分析显示，对ACC不满意的受访者指出其偶尔存在操作笨拙的问题，以及可能引发危险场景；而对ACC满意的受访者则看重人机协同的互补性，并强调了使用ACC时的责任意识与驾驶经验的重要作用。

**研究结论**：ACC的使用愉悦感是技术进步与人为因素共同作用的结果。