On the Philosophical Foundations of the Distracted Driver and Driving Distraction

Ahlström

Proceedings of the 5th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design : Dr

2009

Summary: Driver 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.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Two Eye-Gaze Based Real-Time Driver Distraction Detection Algorithms in a Small-Scale Field Operational Test

Ahlström

Proceedings of the 5th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design : Dr

2009

Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviou

“…It is been previously underscored that no reliable methods yet exist for defining a priori what a driver should be attending to (Hancock, Mouloua, & Senders, 2008). Instead, what (signal-processing) activities are critical for safe driving is seen as an unresolved issue in traffic safety (Regan, Hallett, & Gordon, 2011).…”

Section: Vigilance and Signal Stimuli Concerns In The Driving Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

From Mackworth’s clock to the open road: A literature review on driver vigilance task operationalization

Cabrall

Happee

Winter

2016

Objective: This review aimed to characterize tasks applied in driving research, in terms of instructions/conditions, signal types/rates, and component features in comparison to the classic vigilance literature. Background: Driver state monitoring is facing increased attention with evolving vehicle automation, and real-time assessment of driver vigilance could provide widespread value across various levels (e.g., from monitoring the alertness of manual drivers to verifications of readiness in transitions of control between automated and manual driving). However, task requirement comparisons between the classic vigilance research and vigilance in car driving have not to date been systematically conducted. Method: This study decomposed the highest-cited vigilance literature of each full decade since the 1940s for the situational features of the renowned vigilance decrement phenomenon originating from Mackworth (1948). A consensus set of 18 different situational features was compiled and included for example an (1) isolated (2) subject. .. perceiving (3) rare (4) signals. .. against (10) frequent (11) noise. .. in a (17) prolonged (18) task. Next, we reviewed 69 experimental vigilance task operationalizations (i.e., required signal detection and response) within 39 publications concerned with driving vigilance. All vigilance tasks were coded as ''driving vigilance tasks" or ''non-driving vigilance tasks" based on the perceptual signal and response action both belonging to normal driving activity or not. Presence, absence, and unreported presence/absence of each of the 18 features was rated for each task respectively as ''overlap", ''contrary", and ''unspecified". In conjunction, instructions/environmental conditions, signal definitions, signal rates, and summaries of the experimental vigilance tasks were extracted. Results: A majority of driving vigilance tasks was performed in simulators (69%) compared to on-road (28%) and watching videos (3%) along with large differences in task conditions. Participants had to maintain fixed speed/lane positions in the simulators in higher proportion (74%) than on the road (36%) where they had only to drive ''normally" and/or by loose conventions like ''according to the law" more often (55% versus 15%). Additionally, presence of other traffic was found more often on-road (91%) than in simulators (48%). A specification of signals to detect and react to was found present within/for driving less often (59%) than alongside/in conjunction with driving (100%). Likewise, rates of signals (i.e., frequency of signal occurrence) were reported more often for non-driving vigilance tasks (80%) than in driving vigilance tasks (21%). For driving vigilance tasks, the highest overlap was 12 of the 18 features present (67%). On average, results showed relatively low levels of classic feature overlap (36%) with high rates of unspecified feature presence (46%) for driving vigilance tasks compared to non-driving vigilance tasks with higher classic feature overlap (64%) and fewer features unspecified (1...

Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science

“…These two groups of competing activities make the vehicle stand apart from other SA domains. The driver can be thought of as having multiple roles within the vehicle where the currently active goal will dictate which role they will play (Hancock et al, 2008). Many existing SA domains are characteristic of a professional employed to complete an activity where multitasking happens, but is almost certainly related to the primary goal, especially in critical situations.…”

Section: The Competing Goals Of the Modern Drivermentioning

confidence: 99%

Enabling multitasking by designing for situation awareness within the vehicle environment

Skrypchuk

Langdon

Sawyer

et al. 2018

In the driving environment, competition exists between Driving Related Activities (DRAs) and Non-Driving Related Activities (NDRAs). This is a source of inattention and human error. Continual proliferation of in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) presents drivers with opportunities for distraction. Drivers simultaneously manage DRAs alongside unrelated but cognitively demanding NDRAs. Vehicle designers need ways of understanding human capability in such situations to provide solutions that accommodate these conflicting demands. This paper proposes a framework intended to address such challenges, rooted in the widely accepted construct of Situation Awareness (SA). However, SA theory does not presently accommodate disparate unrelated goal-driven tasks performed in parallel. This framework reconciles the present reality of drivers simultaneously devoting cognitive resources to attain SA for multiple activities by proposing a separate body of knowledge for each active goal. Additionally, the process of achieving SA is expanded to incorporate this concurrent development of separate bodies of goal-directed knowledge. The advantage of reconceptualising SA for driving allows consideration of interface design which minimises the impact of competing activities. The aim is a framework facilitating creation of IVIS that help drivers succeed in multi-goal multitasking situations. Implications of the proposed framework for theory, design, and industry-driven automotive safety efforts are discussed.