Center for Transportation Safety

Recently Completed (2000 - 2007)

Assessing Driver Distraction Due to In-Vehicle Video Systems through Field Testing at the Southwest Center for Transportation Research and Testing at Pecos

Existing and emerging in-vehicle technologies - entertainment systems, communications systems, and intelligent transportation systems - are making travel hours more productive and entertaining, and forever transforming the way the driver interacts with the vehicle. There is growing concern regarding the potential distraction of such systems. This study uses TTI's instrumented vehicle to examine driver distraction due to in-vehicle video systems. This vehicle contains cameras to monitor driver performance, an eye-tracking system, accelerometers, sensors for brake, throttle, and steering, and utilizes advanced image processing software to determine lane position. The project compares driving performance with and without an entertainment video screen present on a closed course track located at Southwest Center for Transportation Research and Testing at Pecos. Drivers will traverse a course consisting of both freeway and rural-type roads while undistracted, while a video plays on a screen visible to them, and while a video plays on a screen in the rear seat. Data collected includes speed variation, lane keeping, response time to unexpected events or signals, and an analysis of visual attention as evidenced by eye glances.

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Comparison of Teen Cell Phone & Passenger Conversation

Many states in the U.S. have begun to implement graduated licensing systems to reduce beginner driver crashes. Graduated licensing is used to expose beginners to the driving experience by removing or decreasing high risk conditions such as night-time driving, unsupervised driving, and multiple teen passengers for the first 6 mos-2 yrs after their 16th birthday.

There have also been extensive studies on the use of cell phones and their negative effects on a driver's performance. These studies have also shown that the cell phone use of a driver produces a higher risk than in-vehicle conversations. There have not, to date, been any graduated licensing programs to restrict cell phone use among novice drivers. This study uses the driving simulator to measure newly-licensed 16 year olds' driving performance while talking on cell phones, and also while talking to passengers within their cars. The participants were placed in hazardous driving situations, and real-time data was collected through the simulator in order to measure their performance.

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