Driver Information Systems
FAT - Research project "safe driving behaviour"
A project of the Research Association for Automotive Technology serves to examine whether side-activities, like operating advanced information systems effect the driver’s awareness of the traffic situation. The project strives to further optimise the menu and layout and contribute information to the perception of critical driving situations.
In order to be able to act safely in traffic situations, a driver must be aware of what is happening around him at any time. He must know which processes must be watched with particular care and that dangerous traffic situations can develop quickly. This knowledge about the current driving situation is referred to as situation awareness.
The research project "The concept of situation awareness and its implications for the driving safety” on behalf of the "Forschungsvereinigung Automobiltechnik (FAT)” (research association for automotive technology) and the Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt) (federal highway research institute) examines in particular, how dealing with side-activities while driving effects the situation awareness. The menus and layout of driver information systems will be optimised based on the findings of this study, in order to enable safe driving while using these devices.
Is driving and operating information systems at the same time hazardous?
The drivers had to handle traffic situations of varying difficulty in a driving simulator. These situations included a.o. reducing the speed in time in a narrow bend or being aware of a parked car on their own lane. Shortly before these situations, the subjects where requested to perform additional tasks, like interacting with driver information system combining various functions like entertainment, phone or a navigation system.
The study demonstrated that drivers can handle secondary tasks well while driving and that they adapt their operating behaviour to the corresponding situation in most cases. They operate the devices preferably in non-critical driving situations and focus on driving in critical situations. The results also showed that drivers adapt the time effort related to such side-activities to the driving situation, i.e. they interrupt these activities in order to focus on the traffic.
Advanced driver information systems support the driving safety
Driver information systems offer clear advantages in such situations. Their design enables the driver to focus on the traffic to a large extent even when using such information devices. He can interrupt menu navigation and entries at any time without having to repeat the operating steps, as these can be resumed later.
Advanced driver information systems also support the driving safety. When driving situations develop very rapidly and the driver cannot react appropriately, information systems support the driver by informing him about certain critical developments occurring outside of his field of perception.
