The Effect of a “Design-of-Awareness” Process on Recognition of AVAS Sound of Quiet Vehicles

The development of quiet vehicles, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, has environmental benefits. However, the quietness of these vehicles may increase the risk to pedestrians, particularly those with visual impairment. We hypothesized that a “design-of-awareness” process based on the concept of sound education for hearing and recognizing the sound generated by the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) installed in quiet vehicles may change peoples’ attitudes toward the sound and improve their ability to detect it. To verify this hypothesis, two experiments using a quiet vehicle were conducted to examine whether participants were able to detect the AVAS sound. The results revealed that few participants were initially able to detect the AVAS sound. After the design-of-awareness process was conducted, 1 and 3 month follow-up surveys were conducted to clarify its effects and longevity. The results revealed that approximately half of the participants became able to detect the sound, and that their attitudes toward the sound were changed. In addition, the number of participants who were able to detect the sound increased over time. These results indicate that a design-of-awareness process could be helpful for training people to detect the sound of quiet vehicles.