Driver distraction

As violating these regulations can lead to driver distraction, crashes, the driver being disqualified and fined, and the company being fined, they are issues that must be addressed in your company policies. 

One issue that all commercial drivers need to be aware of is distracted driving. Driver distraction can be defined in many ways. A FMCSA study recently examined and used the following definitions, all of which are valid ... 

Distracted by other occupant 6 2 Driver distracted (others) 65 1... 

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. 

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Road Safety Reviews of the driver distraction literature... 

Hoibeny, T, Anderson, J., Regan, M.A., Triggs, T.J. and Brown, J. (2006), Driver Distraction The Effects of Concurrent In-Vehicle Tasks, Road Enviromnent Complexity and Age on Driving Performance. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 38, 185-91. 

Salmon, R, Yormg, K. and Regan, M.A. (2005), Bus Driver Distraction Analysis of Risk for State Transit Authority New South Wales Bus Drivers, Report Prepared for State Transit Authority New South Wales by the, Clayton Monash University Accident Research Centre. 

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). 

Yormg, K. andRegarr, M.A. andHarrrmer, M., (2003), Driver Distraction A Review of the Literature , Morrash Urriversity Acciderrt Research Cerrtre. Report 206. Melbourne, Australia. 

Driver Distraction Review of the Literature and Suggestions for Countermeasure Development... 

Driver distraction occurs when a driver engages, willingly or tmwillingly, in a secondary activity which interferes with performance of the primary driving task. There are three main mechanisms of distraction visual distraction, whereby the secondary activity can take the driver s eyes off the road attentional distraction, whereby the driver s attention is taken away from the driving task and physical interference, whereby secondary activities physically interfere with control of the vehicle (Regan, 2005). 

There is converging evidence that driver distraction is a significant road safety issue and as more commrmication, entertaimnent and driver assistance systems proliferate the vehicle market, the incidence of distraction-related crashes is expected to escalate. In North America, Ettrope and Japan, driver distraction is a priority issue in road safety. However, the significance of driver distraction as road safety issue has only recently been recognized in Australia. 

This chapter outlines recent and emerging developments in vehicle technologies and their potential impact on driving performance. It also discusses what is crrrrently being done to manage driver distraction in Australia and describes various cormtermeasrrres that cotrld be adopted to limit its impact on driver safety. 

Sources of driver distraction and their impact on driving... 

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). 

There is a lot that can be done to prevent driver distraction from becoming a major road safety problem in Australia. 

There are a number of priority areas for research on driver distraction. Areas in which our knowledge is particular limited are driver exposure to distraction the self-regulatory strategies that drivers use to cope with distraction ergonomic design... 

Gordon, C. (2005), A Preliminary Examination of Driver Distraction Related Crashes in New Zealand, in eds Faulkes, I. J., Regan, M. A., Brown, J., Stevenson, M. R. and Porter, A., Driver Distraction Proceedings of an International Conference on Distracted Driving, Sydney, Australia , 2-3 June. Canberra, ACT Australasian... 

Hosking, S., Young, K. and Regan, M. (2005), The Effects of Text Messaging on Young Novice Driver Performance, in The Proceedings of the International Driver Distraction Conference, 2-3 June, Austraha Sydney. 

Stutts, J.C., Reinfurt, D.W., Staplin, L. and Rodgman, E.A. (2001), The Role of Driver Distraction in Traffic Crashes, Report Prepared for Washington, DC AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. 

Transport Canada (2003), Strategies for reducing driver distraction from in-vehicle telematics devices A discussion document. Transport Canada Ottawa. 

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