Measuring Distraction: Methods & Techniques

DISCUSSION ISSUES/TOPICS

Methods, Measures & Tools

• How can driver distraction be safely and rigorously studied in normal driving? How valid are studies that use test tracks, simulators, or laboratory methods?
• What measures (dependent variables) are meaningful indices of driver distraction? How do these relate to roadway safety outcomes?
• What technologies (e.g., physiological monitoring), devices (e.g., eye trackers), or analytic techniques (e.g., steering control inputs) can be used to capture measures of distraction?
• Are there good models that allow you to predict the distracting effects or crash risks associated with a particular distractor?
• What, if any, mechanisms are needed to aid in the investigation of technology related crashes and what tools are needed to support these efforts?

• What are the important unanswered questions relating to the scientific measurement of driver distraction? Where should research resources be directed?

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Methods, Measures & Tools
	Association Between Cellular-Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle Collisions   5/18/00 10:36:46 AM   Measuring Driver Visual Distraction with a Peripheral Detection Task   5/18/00 11:12:37 AM   A Technical Platform for Driver Inattention Research   5/18/00 1:34:17 PM   The Development of a Design Evaluation Tool and Model of Attention Demand   5/18/00 1:34:25 PM   Divided Attention Ability of Young and Older Drivers   5/30/00 1:12:17 PM   Driver Workload Assessment of Route Guidance System Destination Entry While Driving: A Test Track Study   5/30/00 5:41:52 PM Authors:   Tijerina, L., Parmer, E. B. (Transportation Research Center Inc., East Liberty, OH), & Goodman, M. J. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Washington, D.C.). View Entire Paper Abstract This study examined destination entry while driving with four commercially available route guidance systems. Three of the systems involved various visual-manual demands while the fourth involved voice input and output. Cellular phone dialing and radio tuning were included as comparison tasks. Test participants drove an instrumented passenger car, accompanied by an experimenter, on a 7.5 mile multilane test track with light traffic. Results indicated that, on average, all three systems with visual-manual methods of destination entry were associated with lengthier completion times, longer eyes-off-road-ahead times, longer and more frequent glances to the device, and greater numbers of lane exceedences than the voice system. However, the voice system was associated with substantially longer and more frequent glances away from the road scene to a containing destination information. Performance differences between younger and older test participants tended to be reduced with the voice system. Regardless of system, the destination entry task took substantially longer to complete than 10-digit cellular telephone dialing or radio tuning to a specific frequency. Voice recognition technology appears to be a viable alternative to manual destination entry while driving but other subtle safety issues remain and are discussed.   Proposed Driver Workload Metrics and Methods Project   5/31/00 5:09:07 PM   Measuring distraction: the Peripheral Detection Task   6/1/00 11:58:18 AM   Need a way to track collisions where Cellular is being used.   7/5/00 2:52:06 PM   Some states do collect this data   7/6/00 9:03:20 AM   2nd and 3rd degree causes   7/8/00 7:27:54 PM   NHTSA data-base   7/9/00 8:23:25 PM   Can slow speeds cause accidents?   7/10/00 12:16:31 AM   distracting dolphins   7/12/00 11:20:43 AM   Cellular Phone Turns   7/12/00 1:36:14 PM   Cellular Phone Turns   7/12/00 1:37:15 PM   Please Explain (see full question below)   7/14/00 10:06:46 AM   Why not use horse blinders   7/18/00 3:49:28 PM   Driver responsability   7/18/00 4:30:21 PM   Measuring and Taxing the Social Costs of Distracted Drivers   7/18/00 4:32:06 PM   Accidents   7/18/00 6:20:24 PM   Driver testing   7/18/00 6:27:38 PM   Nip it in the Bud   7/18/00 8:16:16 PM   Drunk Driving Analogy   7/19/00 8:42:44 AM   Promising research direction   7/19/00 11:15:13 AM   Cell phones receiving undue criticism   7/19/00 12:04:04 PM   Responsible Drivers Need Help!   7/20/00 7:51:11 PM   Cellular Phone Turns   7/20/00 11:44:02 PM   Punishment to meet the crime   7/20/00 11:54:56 PM   Nip it in the ?????   7/21/00 12:11:20 AM   Drunk driving analogy II   7/21/00 12:20:41 AM   Promises promises   7/21/00 12:26:37 AM   Marge needs help!   7/21/00 12:34:59 AM   Reasonable assumptions   7/21/00 12:48:35 AM   Distractions   7/21/00 11:56:23 PM   Daytime Running Lights   7/26/00 7:13:04 AM   Moderator Comments and Questions   7/28/00 7:28:28 AM   Slow speed or relative speed?   7/30/00 3:59:16 PM   Criticism long overdue   7/31/00 2:35:08 AM   Primary task of driving   7/31/00 7:49:23 PM   In evaluating the safety impacts of in-vehicle technologies, what are appropriate baseline or comparative tasks?   8/1/00 1:05:43 PM   What about using specific non-technology tasks as baselines to evaluate safety risks?   8/2/00 3:04:48 PM   In your opinion, what is the single most important measure for understanding driver distraction? Why?   8/7/00 8:05:29 AM   Research article on driver distraction from RoSPA   8/8/00 5:46:27 PM   comment to 'nip it in the bud'   8/8/00 5:55:08 PM   Where is the reference from the RoSPA?   8/9/00 11:28:20 AM   Mr. Murray, please   8/9/00 2:03:41 PM   I have that reference   8/9/00 2:56:15 PM   driver distraction and driver workload: not the same thing   8/9/00 3:53:52 PM
Research Needs
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