Michael A. Regan

The effects of text messaging on young drivers

Objective: This study investigated the effects of using a cell phone to retrieve and send text messages on the driving performance of young novice drivers. Background: Young drivers are particularly susceptible to driver distraction and have an increased risk of distraction-related crashes. Distractions from in-vehicle devices, particularly, those that require manual input, are known to cause decrements in driving performance. Method: Twenty young novice drivers used a cell phone to retrieve and send text messages while driving a simulator. Results: The amount of time that drivers spent not looking at the road when text messaging was up to ~400% greater than that recorded in baseline (no-text-messaging) conditions. Furthermore, drivers’ variability in lane position increased up to ~50%, and missed lane changes increased 140%. There was also an increase of up to ~150% in drivers’ variability in following distances to lead vehicles. Conclusion: Previous research has shown that the risk of crashing while dialing a handheld device, such as when text messaging and driving, is more than double that of conversing on a cell phone. The present study has identified the detrimental effects of text messaging on driving performance that may underlie such increased crash risk. Application: More effective road safety measures are needed to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects on driving performance of using cell phones to retrieve and send text messages.

Driver distraction and driver inattention: Definition, relationship and taxonomy

There is accumulating evidence that driver distraction and driver inattention are leading causes of vehicle crashes and incidents. However, as applied psychological constructs, they have been inconsistently defined and the relationship between them remains unclear. In this paper, driver distraction and driver inattention are defined and a taxonomy is presented in which driver distraction is distinguished from other forms of driver inattention. The taxonomy and the definitions provided are intended (a) to provide a common framework for coding different forms of driver inattention as contributing factors in crashes and incidents, so that comparable estimates of their role as contributing factors can be made across different studies, and (b) to make it possible to more accurately interpret and compare, across studies, the research findings for a given form of driver inattention.

Detection of emergency vehicles: driver responses to advance warning in a driving simulator.

Objective: This research evaluated the effects of an advance warning device (AWD) on the safety of driver interactions with emergency vehicles (EVs). The AWD was intended to provide drivers with advance warning of an approaching on-call EV via visual and auditory warnings when the EV was within a 300- to 400-m radius. Background: Research suggests that drivers can experience difficulty accurately detecting the distance and direction of approaching on-call EV. In-vehicle technology has not previously been explored as a means of overcoming the limitations of existing EV lights and sirens and improving driver detection of EV. Method: An experimental study using an advanced driving simulator examined the effects of the AWD on driving performance in a range of circumstances in which real-world EV crashes and near-misses commonly occur. Each event contained a combination of scenario type (adjacent lane, turning across, car following) and warning condition (control, standard, advance). Results: Data from 22 participants were collected, including measures of speed, braking, and visual scanning. For adjacent-lane and turning-across events, the AWD was associated primarily with reductions in mean speed. The AWD resulted in an earlier lane change to clear a path for the EV in the car-following event. Conclusion: The reduction in speed observed was a positive finding, given the relationship between impact speed and injury severity. Response priming emerged as the mechanism underpinning these effects. Application: Response priming may result in safety benefits in other settings when an advisory warning is presented before the threat can be perceived.

Distraction ‘on the buses’: a novel framework of ergonomics methods for identifying sources and effects of bus driver distraction

Driver distraction represents a significant problem in the public transport sector. Various methods exist for investigating distraction; however, the majority are difficult to apply within the context of naturalistic bus driving. This article investigates the nature of bus driver distraction at a major Australian public transport company, including the sources of distraction present, and their effects on driver performance, through the application of a novel framework of ergonomics methods. The framework represents a novel approach for assessing distraction in a real world context. The findings suggest that there are a number of sources of distraction that could potentially distract bus drivers while driving, including those that derive from the driving task itself, and those that derive from the additional requirements associated with bus operation, such as passenger and ticketing-related distractions. A taxonomy of the sources of bus driver distraction identified is presented, along with a discussion of proposed countermeasures designed to remove the sources identified or mitigate their effects on driver performance.

Work domain analysis and intelligent transport systems: implications for vehicle design

This article presents a Work Domain Analysis (WDA) of the road transport system in Victoria, Australia. A series of driver information requirements and tasks that could potentially be supported through the use of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are then extracted from the WDA. The potential use of ITS technologies to circumvent these information gaps and provide additional support to drivers is discussed. It is concluded that driver information requirements are currently not entirely satisfied by contemporary vehicle design and also that there are a number of driving tasks that could be further supported through the provision of supplementary systems within vehicles.

Training for Attentional Control in Novice Car Drivers: A Simulator Study

Novice drivers aged 18 to 25 are overrepresented in road accidents. This is partly due to an underdeveloped ability to control their attention. A driving simulator was used to enhance the attentional control skill of novice drivers, using Gophers “variable priority” (VP) training technique. Three groups of novice drivers with varying on-road experience participated. Half the subjects in each group received VP training; the other half served as controls. All performed two tasks concurrently in the simulator, over 20 training trials. The VP group was instructed over trials to systematically vary the relative amount of attention given to each task. Control subjects were instructed to simply perform the two tasks as well as possible. After training, VP subjects performed significantly better than controls in a transfer of training drive in the simulator involving three sub-tasks, and this was particularly the case for those with greater driving experience. A follow-up experiment replicated and extended these findings.

Evaluation of a Novice Driver CD-Rom Based Training Program: A Simulator Study

The Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) in Melbourne, Australia, recently completed research which culminated in the development of a CD ROM-based perceptual and cognitive skills training product for young novice car drivers. This paper describes the design of an experiment, using an advanced driving simulator located at MUARC, to evaluate the instructional effectiveness of the product.

Driver Distraction: Definition, Mechanisms, Effects, and Mitigation

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a general overview of the term “driver distraction,” what it means, how it relates to driver inattention, types of driver distraction, sources of driver distraction, factors that moderate the effects of distraction on driving, the interference that can derive from distraction, theories that seek to explain this interference, the impact of distraction on driving performance, and safety, and strategies for mitigating the effects of driver distraction. In addition, the chapter explains the current thinking on driver inattention and how it relates to driver distraction. Whether distraction, when it occurs, impacts driving performance and safety, depends on four main factors: driver characteristics, driving task demand, competing task demand, and the ability of the driver to self-regulate in response to the competing activity. Driver characteristics include age, gender, driving experience, driver state, familiarity with and amount of practice on the competing task, personality, and ones vulnerability to distraction. Factors that influence driving task demand include traffic conditions, weather conditions, road conditions, the number and type of vehicle occupants, the ergonomic quality of cockpit design, and vehicle speed. The demands of the competing task will have a critical bearing on the degree of interference it brings about. Finally, the ability of the driver to self-regulate his or her behavior in the face of a competing activity will have a critical bearing on whether it distracts the driver. Self-regulation at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels of driving control can be exercised by drivers to control exposure to competing activities, to regulate the timing of the engagement, and to control resource investment.

Chapter 4. Driver Distraction and Inattention

Practical implications – The findings point towards of a range of injury prevention countermeasures that have potential to prevent and mitigate driver distraction.