“I don’t know if I use it”

a conceptual model of driver’s mental model of vehicle automation

Journal Article (2026)
Author(s)

Samir H.A. Mohammad (TU Delft - Traffic Systems Engineering)

Simeon C. Calvert (TU Delft - Traffic Systems Engineering)

Marjan P. Hagenzieker (TU Delft - Traffic Systems Engineering)

DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2026.02.044 Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Journal title
Transportation Research Procedia
Volume number
95
Pages (from-to)
345-352
Event
Downloads counter
9
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Abstract

Drivers often misjudge the capabilities of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), compromising safety. Guided by a Context–Vehicle–Driver (C-V-D) framework drawn from 22 empirical studies, this study analyzed a secondary survey of 838 drivers to identify predictors of self-reported “ADAS unawareness” (“I don’t know if I use it”). Analysis of the representation ratio (RR) showed that drivers with a low annual driving distance (' 5000 km), lack of private car ownership, and young age (18–29 years) were consistently overrepresented among unaware users (RR ≥ 1.2), while car sharing frequency and license tenure were not. Un-awareness was highest for Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) among the three ADAS examined. These results support a hierarchical account in which contextual factors outweigh vehicle and driver-level influences. The C-V-D model yields testable hypotheses for road type, traffic density, and interface design that merit evaluation in larger-sample studies. Addressing the priority groups identified here can help designers, dealers, and educators reduce mode confusion and promote safe ADAS adoption.