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. 2023 Jan 24;63(1):140-154.
doi: 10.1093/geront/gnac115.

Automated Vehicles for People With Dementia: A "Tremendous Potential" That "Has Ways to go"-Reports of a Qualitative Study

Shabnam Haghzare  1   2 , Elaine Stasiulis  3   4 , Ghazaleh Delfi  2 , Hodan Mohamud  2 , Mark J Rapoport  5   6 , Gary Naglie  7   8 , Alex Mihailidis  2   9 , Jennifer L Campos  2   10
Affiliations

Automated Vehicles for People With Dementia: A "Tremendous Potential" That "Has Ways to go"-Reports of a Qualitative Study

Shabnam Haghzare et al. Gerontologist. .

Abstract

Background and objectives: The prospect of automated vehicles (AVs) has generated excitement among the public and the research community about their potential to sustain the safe driving of people with dementia. However, no study to date has assessed the views of people with dementia on whether AVs may address their driving challenges.

Research design and methods: This mixed-methods study included two phases, completed by nine people with dementia. Phase I included questionnaires and individual semistructured interviews on attitudes toward using different types of AVs (i.e., partially or fully automated). Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to assess participants' underlying reasons for and against AV use. The participants' identified reasons against AV use informed the focus group discussions in Phase II, where participants were asked to reflect on potential means of overcoming their hesitancies regarding AV use.

Results: The results showed that people with dementia might place higher levels of trust in fully automated compared to partially automated AVs. In addition, while people with dementia expressed multiple incentives to use AVs (e.g., regaining personal freedom), they also had hesitations about AV use. These hesitancies were based on their perceptions about AVs (e.g., cost), their own abilities (i.e., potential challenges operating an AV), and driving conditions (i.e., risk of driving in adverse weather conditions).

Discussion and implications: The findings of this study can help promote the research community's appreciation and understanding of the significant potential of AVs for people with dementia while elucidating the potential barriers of AV use by people with dementia.

Keywords: Automated vehicles; Dementia; Driving; Focus group; Qualitative analysis.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of the ratings of people with dementia of their acceptance of PAVs and FAVs for trust, perceived safety, and intention to use.Notes: AV = automated vehicle; PAV = partially automated vehicle; FAV = fully automated vehicle. The bar chart shows the average response and error bars represent standard devation of participants’ ratings.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A stacked bar chart of the percentage of people with dementia (n = 9) who avoid driving with nonautomated vehicles and who would avoid using PAVs, and/or FAVs, separated by driving conditions/tasks.Notes: PAV = partially automated vehicle; FAV = fully automated vehicle.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
General map of the connections among the four categories of the identified themes.Notes: PAV = partially automated vehicle; FAV = fully automated vehicle. The detailed information about the themes in each category and the connections between categories are presented in Figures 4–6.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Mapping of the themes identified as the incentives for PAV/FAV use among people with dementia, associated underlying factors, and representative quotes.Notes: AV = automated vehicle; PAV = partially automated vehicle; FAV = fully automated vehicle. The opaque boxes in the gray column on the left are the themes identified in the analysis as underlying factors that are not relevant to incentives for people living with dementia to use AVs but to hesitancies of people living with dementia to use AVs.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Mapping of the themes identified as the hesitancies toward both PAV and FAV use among people with dementia, associated underlying factors, and representative quotes.Notes: AV = automated vehicle; PAV = partially automated vehicle; FAV = fully automated vehicle. The opaque boxes in the gray column on the left are the themes identified in the analysis as underlying factors that are relevant to hesitancies of people living with dementia to use AVs but to incentives for people living with dementia to use AVs.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Mapping of the suggestions of people with dementia to overcome their hesitancies toward PAV/FAV use.Notes: AV = automated vehicle; PAV = partially automated vehicle; FAV = fully automated vehicle.
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