Would self-driving vehicles increase occupant productivity?

New research by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan Sustainable Worldwide Transportation indicates that currently, in the US the average occupant of a light-duty vehicle spends about an hour a day travelling—time that could potentially be put to more productive use. Indeed, increased productivity is one of the expected benefits of self-driving vehicles.
September 16, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

New research by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan.

Sustainable Worldwide Transportation indicates that currently, in the US the average occupant of a light-duty vehicle spends about an hour a day travelling—time that could potentially be put to more productive use. Indeed, increased productivity is one of the expected benefits of self-driving vehicles.

The data presented in this white paper indicate that for about 62 per cent of Americans, self-driving vehicles currently are not likely to result in an improvement in productivity. This is the case because 23 per cent said they would not ride in such vehicles and 36 per cent would be so apprehensive in such vehicles that they would only watch the road. Furthermore, out of the remaining 41 per cent, around eight per cent would frequently experience some level of motion sickness—for an additional three per cent of occupants.

Of additional concern are non-traditional positions and postures being considered for occupants of self-driving vehicles (positions and postures for which current occupant protection systems are not optimised), and the behaviour in crashes of unrestrained objects being used for activities in the pursuit of increased productivity.

Consequently, the hoped-for increased productivity in self-driving vehicles would materialise only if the following are achieved: (1) an increased confidence of occupants in self-driving vehicles, which would allow them to be more interested in performing productive tasks while riding in such vehicles; (2) addressing the inherent motion-sickness problem; and (3) solving occupant-protection issues related to non-traditional seating positions and postures, and unrestrained objects becoming projectiles during crashes (or potentially being placed between the occupants and their airbags).

Also of importance is the fact that current trips in light-duty vehicles average only about 19 minutes - a rather short duration for sustained productive activity or invigorating sleep.

Location Based Systems

Related Content

  • December 19, 2017
    Road user charging comes a step closer in Oregon
    Having been the first US state to introduce the gas tax a century ago, Oregon is now blazing the road user charging trail. Colin Sowman looks at progress to date. For more than a decade, authorities in Oregon have known of the impending decline in fuels tax income and while revenue increased by more than 5% in 2016, that growth will slow considerably this year and income is projected to start declining in 2020.
    Read More
  • January 30, 2012
    Mounting benefits of dynamic tolling project
    Wisconsin's four-year HOT lanes pilot project, launched in May 2008, cost US$18.8 million to construct. Halfway into the project, which uses variably priced, or dynamic, tolling to improve highway efficiency, the benefits are mounting. The problem was obvious, and frustrating, to anyone who ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on State Route 167 and watched a lone car whiz by every 20 seconds or so in the carpool lane. But for planners at the Washington State Department of Transportation, the conundrum was
    Read More
  • October 17, 2016
    Two seconds – the difference between life and death
    Professor Donald Fisher has spent 15 years identifying factors that increase the crash risk of novice and older drivers. His findings highlight the difference between living and dying, Colin Sowman reports.
    Read More
  • January 24, 2012
    Improve and increase mass transit systems to minimise congestion
    Rather looking to solve congestion by spreading the load, perhaps we need to look at concentrating it. Michael L. Sena writes. We humans were made to walk and run at embarrassingly slow speeds by comparison with other, more fleet-footed organisms. The sea is not our natural habitat and we were definitely not designed to fly unaided. Nevertheless, humankind has evolved a method of living during the past century that is dependent on transporting its members over very long distances during relatively short per
    Read More

Highlighted Content