Influence of In-Vehicle Information Systems on Road Safety Requirements (IVIS) (ASTRA2004/016)
Overview
Background & policy context:
Drivers are increasingly confronted with new sources of information like auditory instructions or warnings from In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS). In the near future many passenger cars will be equipped with automatic warning systems such as speeding and headway distance alerts.
This can overwhelm the driver due to the amount of information they must work with. Furthermore, in order to use the increasing capacity of roadside information better, complex traffic management systems have been developed by traffic engineers. These include variable traffic signs with changeable display panels and special marks and signals for safety. These contribute considerably to complexity of driving task and encroachment of attention. The analysis of accidents in several countries shows an increasing number of accidents partly due to the use and abuse of mobile phones, GPS-Systems and DVD displays in vehicles.
Objectives:
The main objective of the project is to estimate the influence of modern In-Vehicle Information Systems on road safety. A study of driver´s behaviour has been performed. Drivers have been selected according to defined demographic characteristics and the study has been performed under real traffic conditions.
Methodology:
20 younger (28 to 35 years old) and 20 elderly (60 to 65 years old) drivers have been studied. Depending on the test arrangement, subjects have been driving on selected road sections either with or without the support of IVIS while continuous speed profiles and critical driving situations have been recorded. A passenger car equipped with a route guidance system, standard FM radio and hands-free mobile phone was used as an experimental vehicle. The vehicle also contained toll sensors and data logging capability. Through comparison of test drives with and without support of IVIS, possible differences in speed behaviour, headway distance behaviour, and driver workload shall be observed and assessed with regard to possible effects on road safety. In the traffic-psychological research, the changes of workload have been ascertained and investigated. The external, independent experimental terms have to be excluded during the process of data collection, in order not to falsify the results. Within the research project an estimation of safety gains and safety deficits due to changes of individual driving behaviour caused by influences of In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS) should be done. The central question of this research project is to recognise and assess the combined influences of certain IVIS on road safety requirements.
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