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Modern vehicles are embedded with numerous electronic components, making them more advanced and automated, while also making them vulnerable to cyberattacks. This study investigated how drivers respond to unexpected, cyber-attack-induced situations through a driving simulator study. It also examined differences in driver responses if they were trained or received warning messages on how to mitigate the effect of a vehicle cyberattack. The findings suggest that drivers' responses to cyberattacks vary based on the severity of the event. Those who receive training are much more likely to drive cautiously when the vehicle behaves unexpectedly and those who receive warning messages are likely to view them, but not necessarily take action. These results have far reaching implications into the utility of training programs in improving driver behavior and leave future work in terms of optimizing warning message systems.
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This content will become publicly available on August 1, 2026
Effect of dynamic social norm messaging on intent to idle
Unnecessary vehicle idling negatively contributes to air quality, which harms human health. The latter harms are greater when vehicles concentrate in an area frequented by vulnerable populations, such as children and hospital patients. The present experiments evaluated the effects of social-norm messages presented in a hypothetical school pickup zone on online drivers’ intent to idle. In Experiment 1, when messages were described as presented on a dynamic feedback display, much like those used to reduce speeding, they significantly decreased intent to idle. This effect was larger when a picture of a child accompanied the message. In Experiment 2, the social norm message plus picture significantly decreased intent to idle when four or fewer other drivers in the area were described as idling (i.e., ignoring the injunctive social-norm message). Future planned research will evaluate the efficacy of this dynamic display in reducing real idling behavior in high-idling zones frequented by vulnerable populations.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1952008
- PAR ID:
- 10621686
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Environmental Psychology
- Volume:
- 105
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0272-4944
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 102635
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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