Equipment Design Features (Impacts on Safety)

Papers, polls, Q&A items, and comments on this page are oriented to topics and issues associated with the impact of equipment design features on driving safety. Feel free to post comments on issues outlined below, or in response to papers, polls, and/or questions submitted to our expert panel. The emphasis is meant to be on the design features of the technological devices themselves, but comments on system-level safety (e.g., integration of devices, use of crash warnings) are welcome. A moderator has been assigned to periodically synthesize comments, keep discussions focused and moving, emphasize key points, and offer additional insights into related issues.

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?

Research Needs

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?

Content Available In Each Topic Area

  Paper
  Comment
  Ask the Expert
  Poll

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 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 Submitted Anonymously Automotive Industry OEM/Supplier Since almost everybody has a radio in their car, improved radio design could save many lives. Having driven many types of vehicles as part of my job, I cannot believe how distracting the controls on some of the radios are. The worst offenders that I can think of are... - BMW (5-Series and X5) with a row buttons of the same size that control different things depending on mode. The controls functions are labeled on a display adjacent to the buttons and this requires the driver to look down for a long time to figure out what is going on. The navigation system on the 7-Series is also very distracting with buttons to the side of the screen and touch buttons on the screen. - Volkswagen radios with many small buttons arranged in a non-logical fashion on a small single DIN faceplate have caused me to look away from the road too long even after I became familiar with them. - Lexus RX300 with some of the radio controls on the faceplate and others several inches away on separate buttons right below the LCD screen. There are also similar looking/feeling buttons for the ventilation controls right below the faceplate readio controls. Steering wheel controls are a great thing to prevent distraction but in case they are not used, the main radio controls should be easy to read, easy to distinguish from buttons with other functions by using different shapes and sizes. 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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