Lane Change Assistance (LCA) system in cars can potentially mitigate blind spot related crashes; but its effectiveness largely depends on driver acceptance and proper use. Although still in early stages, the volume of cars equipped with LCA system is expected torise in the near future as the technology has been considered in the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) 2017 Rating Scheme. Therefore, this study is initiated to assess user acceptance of and experience with LCA-equipped cars. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to owners of LCA-equipped cars at selected service centres in the Klang Valley from November 2016 to February 2017. From a total of 276 valid responses, results revealed that most owners greatly considered LCA system when purchasing their cars and agreed that the systems had positively altered their driving behaviours i.e. regularly using the turn signal and checking the side mirrors. Nevertheless, about 20% of the respondents stated theirannoyance and distraction by the LCA systems due to unnecessary warnings from various sources, aside from getting too many warnings during traffic congestion. The study findings provide some practical implications that can aid the industry and relevant stakeholders in gauging the issue and actual situations concerning the use of LCA system in Malaysia.
Driver acceptance ; driver assistance system ; early adopter ; lane change assistance system