Equipment Design Features (Impacts on Safety)

DISCUSSION ISSUES/TOPICS

Effective/Ineffective Designs & Countermeasures

• What technologies can be employed to develop less distracting devices (e.g., voice recognition, hands free operation)?
• To what extent does voice interaction (speech recognition, artificial speech) provide benefits over visual presentation? Under what conditions is voice communication distracting?
• Is there less driver distraction with the use of Head Up Displays (HUDs) than with traditional displays? Can everyone use HUDs effectively?
• How should information be structured, formatted, and searched? How much information is too much for drivers to handle?
• What designs and features (design soluations) have worked well in this or similar applications? What problems have been observed?
• What effective countermeasures can be used to combat distraction?

• What are the important unanswered questions regarding the design of in-vehicle technologies? Is research best directed at defining good design or developing tools to evaluate individual designs?

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Effective/Ineffective Designs & Countermeasures
	The Impact of Internal Distraction on Driver Visual Behavior   5/17/00 2:30:52 PM   Divided Attention Ability of Young and Older Drivers   5/30/00 1:12:17 PM Authors:   Mourant, R. R., Tsai, F., Al-Shihabi, T., & Jaeger, B. K. (Virtual Environments Laboratory, Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Northeastern University). View Entire Paper Abstract This study formulates a divided attention task that measures the capacity of drivers to use in-vehicle Advanced Transportation Information Systems (ATIS). Henderson and Suen (1999) have suggested that an ATIS is a two-edged sword for older drivers because with advancing age drivers experience diminished perceptual and cognitive abilities that make it difficult to use in-vehicle displays. When using an in-vehicle display to obtain potentially useful information, a driver usually 1) makes a small head movement to the right accompanied by an eye-movement of about 30-35 degrees and 2) adjusts his/her eye for close vision which involves convergence eye movements and accommodation of the eye lenses. For people who are 60 years or older these processes take longer and thus older drivers spend more time than young drivers acquiring information from an in-vehicle display. The present study measures drivers’ ability to obtain information while constantly switching between near and far visual tasks. In addition we compare driver performance relative to two display formats.   Speech-based Interaction with In-vehicle Computers: The Effect of Speech-based E-mail on Drivers’ Attention to the Roadway   5/31/00 11:52:26 AM   Integration of Driver In-Vehicle ITS Information   5/31/00 11:53:14 AM   E-Distraction: The Challenges for Safe and Usable Internet Services in Vehicles   5/31/00 12:04:41 PM   Can Collision Warning Systems Mitigate Distraction Due to In-Vehicle Devices?   5/31/00 1:12:43 PM   In-Vehicle Communication and Driving: An Attempt to Overcome their Interference   6/1/00 11:55:10 AM   If purchasing an in-vehicle device, how much of an influence does the design and ease of use of devices have on your selection?      Can auditory systems (devices with the capability to interpret voice commands, or communicate using speech messages) address the safety concerns associated with operating in-vehicle technologies?      Do you believe hands-free technology is sufficient to address safety concerns related to cell phone use while driving?      Is it possible to design electronic maps that can be safely used while driving?      Is it possible to design wireless Internet devices (e.g., e-mail systems) that can be safely used while driving?      Integration of Driver in vehicle ITS   7/6/00 2:13:53 PM   In your opinion, what is the maximum number of recommended information displays a HUD should feature?    7/14/00 8:52:05 AM   Passenger Air Bag technology saves lives, BUT...   7/14/00 6:11:10 PM   Radio designs are needlessly dangerous   7/18/00 3:04:26 PM   Radio designs are needlessly dangerous, II   7/18/00 6:32:12 PM   Possible solution   7/18/00 6:44:54 PM   disable devices while car is in motion   7/19/00 11:19:00 AM   low cost "black-box" equipment for motor vehicles   7/19/00 11:50:17 AM   In your opinion, what is the maximum number of recommended information displays a HUD should feature? Can you specify related references?   7/19/00 4:11:36 PM   What role can automation play in reducing the driver distraction problem? What automated or assistance systems can we expect to see in the future?   7/20/00 7:47:20 AM   Confusing radio controls   7/20/00 4:05:31 PM   Older vs. Younger   7/24/00 9:47:24 PM   E-mail in the car   7/24/00 10:09:21 PM   HUD usage   7/26/00 1:46:27 PM   HUD usage   7/26/00 1:47:16 PM   Radio/CD player designs need standards   7/31/00 2:13:49 AM   Integration and solutions causing potential new problems   8/1/00 10:09:55 AM   Radio content can be distracting   8/1/00 10:25:10 AM   Ergonomic design and visual pollution   8/3/00 2:14:33 PM   Ergonomic design and visual pollution (ergonomically improved!)   8/3/00 2:23:18 PM
Research Needs
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