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Equipment Design Features (Impacts on Safety)

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 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  
comments
  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?   

comments   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

comments   Passenger Air Bag technology saves lives, BUT...   7/14/00 6:11:10 PM

comments   Radio designs are needlessly dangerous   7/18/00 3:04:26 PM

comments   Radio designs are needlessly dangerous, II   7/18/00 6:32:12 PM

comments   Possible solution   7/18/00 6:44:54 PM

comments   disable devices while car is in motion   7/19/00 11:19:00 AM

comments   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

comments   Confusing radio controls   7/20/00 4:05:31 PM

comments   Older vs. Younger   7/24/00 9:47:24 PM

comments   E-mail in the car   7/24/00 10:09:21 PM

comments   HUD usage   7/26/00 1:46:27 PM

comments   HUD usage   7/26/00 1:47:16 PM

comments   Radio/CD player designs need standards   7/31/00 2:13:49 AM

comments   Integration and solutions causing potential new problems   8/1/00 10:09:55 AM

comments   Radio content can be distracting   8/1/00 10:25:10 AM

comments   Ergonomic design and visual pollution   8/3/00 2:14:33 PM
Craig   Biggerstaff
Private Citizen

Visual pollution (the assault on the senses of distracting lights, signs, controls, etc.) is the single biggest factor in increased driving complexity, because it's increasing the fastest. NHTSA needs to assess both auto design standards and how the surrounding environment affects the driver. The cardinal rules of ergonomics are these: 1. Use placement, color, shape, size, brightness, and so forth, to express function. Avoid using visual elements that do not express function. 2. Provide prime (front-and-center) placement to the most necessary, most important, and most often used visual elements. 3. Avoid visual elements that draw the eye away from more important elements. Counterexamples to illustrate these points: a. The dash design of a 1990 Mazda Miata is nearly ideal, containing almost nothing unnecessary within the driver's field of vision. The exception is the letters "UNLEADED GASOLINE ONLY" in 24-point type, put there no doubt due to regulation. Given the proportion of time a driver spends driving, versus filling the tank, there is no justification for cluttering the dash in this way. b. Red lighting does not impair night vision as does blue-white lighting. Astronomers and pilots rely on red-lit instruments for this reason. Yet new cars are increasingly using blue-white xenon headlights despite their detrimental effect on other drivers. Some European cars have yellowish headlights -- should we adopt this? Has any research been done comparing international standards to American ones for effectiveness? c. Controls within a car are often laid out to look "high-tech" and impress the buyer, not to improve usability. An array of 30 buttons, particularly backlit for night usage, requires considerable driver effort to find the desired button in the clutter. d. Addition of visual elements do not help. Subtraction is what is needed. This is why daytime running lights and "cyclops" rear center taillights do not help -- the supposed safety value of these is due to their novelty. When a majority of cars have these, they cease to stand out and increase the ambient level of visual pollution, causing drivers to pay even less attention. As another example of this, consider that police lights years ago were rotating red, then rotating blue, and now generally rotating red, blue, and white (flashing strobe) together, in an arms race to be seen.


comments   Ergonomic design and visual pollution (ergonomically improved!)   8/3/00 2:23:18 PM
Research Needs
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