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The Effects of Dual-Task Interference and Response Strategy on Stop or Go Decisions to Yellow Light Changes
Get PDFDistractions can interfere with driving by causing central processing bottlenecks. In addition to performance decrements, central processing delays may also impair decision-making during critical driving maneuvers such as stop or go decisions at intersections. It was hypothesized that distractions would delay the stop or go decision leading to more go responses. Participants drove 4 simulated drives and made stop or go decisions at intersections with and without a distracting task. Distractions did not result in more go responses at intersections. Additionally, dual-task interference in braking responses was found to be dependent upon participants’ response strategies. Theoretical implications of response strategy on processing bottlenecks were discussed
Comparison of Two Eye-Gaze Based Real-Time Driver Distraction Detection Algorithms in a Small-Scale Field Operational Test
Get PDFDriver distraction is a field which has received increasing attention in the last years, especially after it became evident that distraction is a major factor contributing to road casualties. Monitoring, detecting and limiting driver distraction could contribute significantly to improve road traffic safety. With the introduction of novel unobtrusive gaze-tracking systems real-time algorithms based on the driver’s gaze direction can be developed for driver distraction warning systems. The study describes and compares two different algorithms for gaze-based driver distraction detection based on the eye tracking data obtained in a field study. One algorithm relies on the metric “percent road centre” of gaze direction, the other on gaze zones in the vehicle. Results show that both algorithms have potential for detecting driver distraction, but that no effect of the distraction warnings on attention as defined by the algorithms could be observed
Age and Attentional Capacity
Get PDFAccident and fatality rates begin to increase after age 55. Previous research indicated only weak relationships between crash involvement and poor acuity. The other factor that may influence driving performance is impaired attentional function. Green and Bavelier (2003) showed that action-video-game players have greater attention capacity than non-video-game players. More important, non-video-game players can be trained to enhance the capacity of visual attention and its spatial distribution. In that study, all participants were young adults (aged from 18 to 23). It is not clear whether the reduced driving capability of older adults is due to a decreased attention capacity. In this paper, attention capacity of young and older drivers was examined using a flanker task paradigm. Participants were asked to respond to two shapes (diamond/square) in one of six circles arranged in a ring. At the same time, a distractor (a square/a diamond) was displayed on the left or the right of the ring. The workload of the task was manipulated by presenting different shapes in all the other circles or only one shape was present in the ring. The influence of the irrelevant shape on the performance (flanker effect) under different load conditions was compared between older and younger drivers. Consistent with previous research, the reaction time under the high-load condition was longer than in the low-load condition and older drivers’ reaction time was slower than younger drivers’. However, for both age groups, flanker effect only existed for the low-load condition and tends to disappear in the high-load condition
Do Redundant Head-Up and Head-Down Display Configurations Cause Distractions?
Get PDFThis study was designed to investigate effects of different display configuration designs. Nineteen drivers completed a driving simulator study designed to resemble normal driving. Driving performance, glance behaviour, physiological measures, and task completion times was measured for two display configuration designs both during driving only and during driving with a simple secondary task, which consisted of detection, and off-setting of presented warnings. The display configuration design with more centrally placed information, e.g. the HUD and HDD, had less detrimental effects on driving performance and glance behaviour. The physiological measures showed, however, no significant differences between display configuration designs
Seizure and the Risk for Seizure Recurrence Among Individuals Who Have Undergone Surgery for Epilepsy
Get PDFEpilepsy is a central nervous system disorder for which recurrent seizures are the main symptom. Seizures resulting from epilepsy may culminate in unpredictable and sudden incapacitation, and thus are of significant concern to those interested in driver safety. Surgical therapy is one of the main treatment options for patients who do not respond to pharmacotherapy. Although approximately two thirds of individuals who undergo the most common types of surgery for epilepsy become seizure free, a significant proportion of these individuals will experience seizure recurrence. A systematic review and metaanalysis was conducted to examine the likelihood of seizure recurrence among individuals who have undergone surgery for epilepsy. Specifically, we were interested in quantifying the relationship between time since last seizure and the likelihood that a seizure will occur within the following year. Our results indicate that the longer the time that has elapsed since the occurrence of the last seizure, the lower the risk for seizure recurrence in the following year. The average annual risk for experiencing seizure recurrence among individuals who have remained seizure free for ≥8 years is less than 2% and less than 1% for those who have remained seizure free for ≥10 years. These findings have important implications for regulatory agencies with responsibility for road safety; particularly those agencies that regulate safety sensitive industries
A Simulator-Based Street-Crossing Training for Older Pedestrians: Short and Long Term Effects
Get PDFThe study aimed at developing and assessing a training method to improve the safety of elderly pedestrians with a simulator-based street-crossing technique specially designed to their needs and difficulties. Twenty seniors were enrolled in a street-crossing training program, and twenty other seniors were assigned to the control group (internet-use training). Before the training, immediately after it, and 6 months later, street-crossing decisions and behaviors were assessed using a simulated street-crossing task. The results showed that the simulator-based training enhanced the safety of the elderly pedestrians. However, the way in which they took into account the speed of the approaching car in their decisions and behaviors had not improved. The lack of effectiveness of training in the use of speed may reveal age-related sensory and cognitive impairments that our simulator-based method could not alleviate. The results of this study stressed the importance of greater attention to senior street-crossing retraining
Driving With Cardiovascular Disease: The Impact of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators on Driver Safety
Get PDFCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. With America’s workforce rapidly aging, more attention is being placed on CVD and its treatment among employees in safety sensitive occupations, such as the transportation industry. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are increasingly being used to treat certain cardiovascular conditions, but despite the fact that they are effective in preventing sudden death from cardiac arrhythmia, there is concern about allowing individuals with an ICD to drive. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine the health and safety impacts ICDs on driving. We considered data pertaining to four outcomes among individuals with an ICD: crash rate, the occurrence of sudden death while driving, the occurrence of syncope while driving, and the occurrence of at least one shock from their ICD while driving. Currently, the impact of an ICD on driver safety cannot be determined. Our assessments of the evidence pertaining to crash rates and sudden incapacitation while driving were inconclusive. Our results do indicate, however, that some individuals with an ICD will experience an inappropriate ICD discharge while driving (Strength of Evidence Rating: Strong). Experiencing such a discharge while driving is a potential hazard to driver safety. Quantitative assessment of the available data suggests that approximately 6.3% (95% CI: 4.7%-8.4%) of all individuals with an ICD who drive will experience a discharge while driving. These findings have potential implications for regulatory agencies with responsibility for road safety; particularly those agencies that regulate safety sensitive industries
Effects of Display Location Within Simulated Driving Environments
Get PDFDriving simulators offer researchers experimental control while minimizing safety issues and reducing costs relative to on-road and test track experimental procedures. However, with the control of the visual environment that simulators allow, it can be tempting to develop experimental protocols that utilize displays within the visual environment of the simulator. Such displays have the potential to differentially affect driving performance based on their location within the driving environment. A simulator experiment was conducted in order to assess the effects of having drivers fixate a display at nine different locations on the center channel of a DriveSafety driving simulator. In general, driving performance was best when the display was in the middle of the screen. Both horizontal and vertical deviations from the center of the screen resulted in increased lane position variability, and drivers tended to drive closer to the opposite lane boundary toward which they were fixating when a display was located to the left or right of the center. In addition, response times to a task presented in the display were faster when the display was located toward the center of the screen
Evaluating Design Options for a Dynamic Traffic Sign
Get PDFThis study describes two usability methods that were used to determine the final design of a prototype dynamic traffic sign. The Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System-Stop Sign Assist (CICAS-SSA) is an infrastructure-based driver support system to improve gap acceptance at rural stop-controlled intersections. This study evaluated drivers’ comprehension of recommended design changes made to the SSA message set using paper-andpencil and computerized testing. The goal was to choose the final interface design that would later be tested using driving simulation. Overall, comprehension was highest for sign messages that showed prohibitive information and was lowest for signs indicating no traffic was detected near the intersection. The results for the design options were similar between studies, allowing for the selection of a final set of design features for the interface. Results also suggest that the two methodologies provided a low-cost alternative to simulation for down-selecting the design options
Elderly Pedestrians' Visual Timing Strategies in a Simulated Street- Crossing Situation
Get PDFThe purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the effect of age and of the approaching vehicle’s speed on crossing behavior in an interactive street crossing simulation. Seventy-eight subjects aged from 20-30, 60-70 and 70- 80, took part in the experiment. Half of them were female and half were male. The participants were asked to cross between two approaching cars if they judged crossing possible. Vehicle speed (40 and 60 km/h) and time gap between cars (from 1 to 7s) were varied. The results show that the accepted time gap increased with age, but that the adopted safety margins, as well as the rates of unsafe crossings and missed opportunities were globally comparable for all groups of participants. However, the speed of the approaching vehicles was identified as an important risk factor for elderly pedestrians. Unlike younger pedestrians, seniors exhibited more risky behaviors at higher speeds. Results are discussed in relation to the visual information used, and with respect to the validity of judgment and crossing tasks in the study of pedestrian behavior