This section reviews recent laboratory research conducted in the area of driver distraction. With particular “attention” being paid to the role played by attention-related abilities.

Attentional problems are estimated to account   for 5 - 25 % of all car accidents (Young, Regan, & Hammer, 2003; Pettitt,   Burnett, & Stevens, 2005). According to a recent white paper about the   future of the field of traffic safety, driver attention and distraction are   estimated to be the most important human factors research issues of the   coming years with the potential of directly affecting traffic safety (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2006).

Obviously, when driving, not all types of distraction can be avoided. Therefore, driver psychology becomes important as a means to find out how drivers can be selected or trained to be prudent users of such potentially dangerous technologies. In two experiments we investigated the role   played in driver distraction by three attention-related abilities.

Specifically, we studied the extent to which the scores on tests for measuring these abilities could be used to predict the amount of distraction caused by the performance of a secondary task. Driver distraction was measured using the Lane Change Task (LCT), a standard methodology for measuring driver distraction caused by an arbitrary secondary task that is to be performed simultaneously with the primary driving task (i.e., LCT).

• The distracting potential of performing a complex (versus a simple) visual secondary task (Experiment 1)
• The distracting potential of performing a spatial reasoning (versus a non-spatial, acoustic) version of an auditory secondary task (Experiment 2).
• Whether a person´s score on the spatial reasoning task is predictive of the amount of distraction caused by that task (Experiment 2).
• Whether a person´s score on the complex visual secondary task is predictive of the amount of distraction caused by that task (Experiment 1).
• Whether the amount of distraction caused by the spatial reasoning task depends on the spatial nature of the manoeuvre the participant is making in the LCT (i.e., steering to the right versus steering to the left) and on the precise moment in time the participant is involved in spatial reasoning (Experiment 2).

Downloads and further information

Driver Distraction, Secondary Visual Task Load, and Attention-Related Abilities. Taken from: ICPA2008 proceedings (selected papers), describing Experiment 1 mentioned above.

Spatial Reasoning as a Source of Driver Distraction. Article submitted for publication. Contains results of Experiment 2 mentioned above.See also Verschuur, W.L.G. & Hurts, K. (2008). Modeling safe and unsafe driving behaviour. Accident Analysis and Prevention 40, 644–656.