ABSTRACT
The dominant technological trajectory in vehicle design brings with it similarly dominant driver performance issues. No more so is this evident than in relation to the twin issues of vehicle feedback and driver SA. Three studies are described in this chapter that enable us to explore these issues in more detail. They describe how changes in vehicle feedback affect driver SA and shed light on the range of practical SA measurement methods that can be used in automotive contexts. The findings of these studies are potentially important. They suggest that current trends in vehicle design may be contributing little towards driver SA. In fact, they may be contributing to a generalised trend towards decreasing it. More concerning is that drivers show a concerning lack of self-awareness of their SA and, indeed, any shortfall in it. None of this would be a problem were it not for the dominant role of SA in crashes and other performance problems.
