RRADS: Real Road Autonomous Driving Simulation

This video introduces a methodology for simulating an autonomous vehicle on open public roads. The video showcases participant reaction footage collected in the RRADS (Real Road Autonomous Driving Simulator). Although our study using this simulator did not use overt deception--the consent form clearly states that a licensed driver is operating the vehicle--the protocol was designed to support suspension of disbelief. Several participants who did not read the consent form clearly strongly believed that the vehicle was autonomous; this provides a lens onto the attitudes and concerns that people in real-world autonomous vehicles might have, and also points to ways that a protocol that deliberately used misdirection could gain ecologically valid reactions from study participants.