This presentation examines how driver readiness requirements differ across vehicle automation levels. While automation improves safety, sustaining driver alertness remains a challenge, as drivers remain vulnerable to both external distractions and internal cues. In ADAS (L1-L2), vehicle control taxes limited cognitive resources, and secondary tasks increase the risks of overload, stress and fatigue. At higher automation (L2+-L4), reduced control demands free cognitive capacity but introduces underload effects such as mind wandering and drowsiness. Reliable, automation-level-appropriate assessment of driver readiness is therefore critical. This talk outlines practical methods for detecting visual, manual and cognitive distraction, as well as drowsiness and stress.

• Human state variability in relation to vehicle automation levels
• Driver cognitive performance across over- and under-stimulation scenarios
• Assessment of driver readiness through multimodal distraction detection
• Mental resource dynamics under varying automation levels
• Manifestation and assessment of stress and drowsiness across varying levels of automation