Driving with autism spectrum disorder: Exploring the impact of tactile hazard warnings on gaze behavior and hazard responses.

Autistic people are less likely to obtain a driver's license than neurotypical peers and may face higher collision risks when driving. While advanced driver assistance systems (e.g. hazard warnings) could enhance driving safety for this population, their efficacy remains understudied. In this study, licensed drivers with low and high levels of autistic traits, and non-autistic controls, completed simulated city drives, avoiding pedestrian hazards with and without a vibrotactile warning device. Gaze fixation, braking responses, and subjective workload were compared across warning conditions and between groups. Without warnings, autistic trait level had no effect on gaze fixation or brake responses to hazards. However, when driving with warnings, drivers low in autistic traits exhibited delayed initial fixation, shorter total fixation duration, and slower braking responses, but did not have increased collisions. While drivers with high autistic traits showed no behavioral changes when using warnings and reported high frustration, they achieved the greatest reduction in collisions. Unique gaze patterns were seen among drivers high in autistic traits, which might suggest differing adaptive behaviors developed by individuals in this group to manage hazard situations. These findings highlight the potential of driver assistance systems to enhance safety in this population and demonstrate the need to consider autistic trait levels when evaluating driving and the potential benefits and limitations of such driver assistance systems.