Driver distraction factors

Part 4 is a collection of human factors interventions from the different indnstry modes. It will introdnce the concept that human error is indeed ubicpiitous and therefore, its management should be approached from multiple applications training and development, leadership and supervision, situational awareness, distraction management etc. Novel elements in this part include research on driver distraction, medical team resource management, a new look at situational awareness, rail risk management and fatigue management in the medical field. 

A wide range of entertainment, information and communication and advanced driver assistance systems are finding their way into the car cockpit. Whilst these can greatly enhance the safety, enjoyment, and amenity of driving, the potential benefits to be derived from them could be compromised if they are used inappropriately and poorly designed. The critical human factors issues that will underpin the effectiveness of these systems are discussed, with a particular focus on advanced driver assistance systems. Some research undertaken at the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MU ARC) that bears on these issues is presented, including recent research on driver distraction. 

This chapter examines some of the key hrrman factors issues that will underpin the effectiveness of ADAS technologies, arrd describes some research bearing on these issues that has been urrdertaken by MUARC. Driver distraction is probably the first significant hitman factors issue to emerge as a by-product of the vehicle cockpit revolution, fuelled more by the proliferation of entertainment and information and communication systems than by ADAS technologies. Some current MUARC projects on this topic are also described. 

Yormg, K. and Regan, M. A. (2006), Driver Distraction Review of the Literature and Suggestiorrs for Countermeasure Development, The Proceedings of the Swinburne University Multi-Modal Symposium on Safety Management and Human Factors, 9-10 February 2006, Melbourne Australia. (In Press). 

Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that driver inattention, in its various forms, contributes to approximately 25 per cent of police-reported crashes. Driver distraction is one form of driver inattention and is claimed to be a contributing factor in over half of inattention crashes (Stutts etal, 2001). 

Driver distraction, situational awareness, fatigue management, medical team resource management and rail/aviation human factors programs are some of the topics in Part 4. 

FIGURE 12.1 Factors that moderate the effects of distraction on driving performance and crash risk. (Reproduced from Young, K.L., Regan, M.A., and Lee J.D. 2009. Driver Distraction Theory, Effects, and Mitigation. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press. With permission.)... 

FIGURE 12.2 The relationship between behavioural adaptation and driver distraction and the factors that moderate it. 

Lee, J.D., McGehee, D.V., Brown, T.L., and Reyes, M.L. 2002. Collision warning tuning, driver distraction, and driver response to imminent rear-end collisions in a high-fidelity driving simulator. Human Factors, 44(2), 314. 

Sayer, J.R., Mefford, M.L., Shirkey, J.L., and Lantz, J. 2005. Driver distraction A naturalistic observation of secondary behaviors with the use of driver assistance systems. Proceedings of the Third International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training and Vehicle Design. Rockport, Maine. 

Strayer, D.L., and Drews, F.A. 2004. Profiles in driver distraction Effects of cell phone conversations on younger and older drivers. Human Factors, 46(4), 640. 

In a naturalistic truck driver study conducted for the FMCSA by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), distraction was formd to be a significant factor in safety-related events. The data was collected using in-cab surveillance cameras that recorded the activities of 100 drivers and their surroundings for 18 months. The study involved over 735,000 miles of driving. 

Factors that mediate driver s vulnerability to distraction... 

Bunn, T. L., S. Slavova, T. W. Struttmann and S. R. Browning (2005). Sleepiness/fatigue and distraction/inattention as factors for fatal versus nonfatal commercial motor vehicle driver injuries. Accid. Anal Prev., 37, 862-869. 

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