DRIVER DISTRACTION: Theory, Effects, and Mitigation

DRIVER DISTRACTION: Theory, Effects, and Mitigation

Ergonomics

Driving is a complex, multitask activity. Despite this, it is not unusual to see drivers
engage simultaneously in other nondriving tasks. The potential consequences of
doing so were borne out in a landmark incident that occurred on the morning of
December 31, 2001, on Port Arlington Road, near Geelong, Australia. A 24-year-old
female dentist was preparing to send an SMS message—“cu1”—using a mobile
phone while driving along the road. She was writing the text message to a friend
in Melbourne to let her know that she would be meeting her at one o’clock that
afternoon. In doing so, she swerved into the adjacent bicycle lane and crashed into
the back of a bicycle being ridden by a 36-year-old mechanical engineer, returning
from a training ride. The rider was thrown against the windscreen and roof of the
car, and landed on the side of the road. He died at the scene. The driver of the vehicle
was brought to court in a landmark case—the fi rst in which the use of a mobile
phone had been blamed for a road fatality in the Australian State of Victoria. She
pleaded guilty to culpable driving, was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment (fully
suspended), and was disqualifi ed from driving for 2 years [1]. This incident, and
the media attention that it attracted, was important in focusing attention on driver
distraction as a road safety issue in Australia. The purpose of this book is to explain
and avoid such tragedies.

Edited by Michael A. Regan, John D. Lee, Kristie L. Young

www.taylorandfrancis.com
www.crcpress.com

CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group

2009

Motoyuki Akamatsu
Institute of Human Science and
Biomedical Engineering
National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science (AIST)
Tsukuba, Japan
Debbie L. Bakowski
Advanced Driver Support Systems
Delphi Electronics & Safety
Westfi eld, Indiana
Megan Bayly
Accident Research Centre
Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Linda Boyle
Department of Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Peter C. Burns
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle
Regulation
Transport Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Judith L. Charlton
Accident Research Centre
Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Birsen Donmez
Department of Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Frank A. Drews
Department of Psychology
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Lutz Eckstein
Ergonomics and HMI
BMW Group
Munich, Germany
Jessica Edquist
Accident Research Centre
Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Johan Engström
Department of Humans, Systems and
Structures
Volvo Technology Corporation
Gothenburg, Sweden
Brian Fildes
Accident Research Centre
Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
James P. Foley
Intelligent Transportation Systems
Noblis
Falls Church, Virginia
Craig P. Gordon
Transport Research and Evaluation
Ministry of Transport
Wellington, New Zealand
Paul Green
Human Factors Division
Transportation Research Institute
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Anders Hallén
Human Factors Engineering &
Ergonomics
Volvo Car Corporation
Gothenburg, Sweden
Mike Hammer
General Motors Holden
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Peter A. Hancock
Department of Psychology, and
Institute for Simulation and Training
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida
Joanne L. Harbluk
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle
Regulation
Transport Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Tim Horberry
Sustainable Minerals Institute
University of Queensland
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
William J. Horrey
Center for Behavioral Sciences
Liberty Mutual Research Institute for
Safety
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Sjaanie Koppel
Accident Research Centre
Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Dave Leblanc
Engineering Research Division
University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute (UMTRI)
Ann Arbor, Michigan
John D. Lee
Department of Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Stefan Mattes
Group Research & Advanced
Development
DaimlerChrysler AG
Stuttgart, Germany
Suzanne P. McEvoy
The George Institute for
International Health
The University of Sydney
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Mustapha Mouloua
Department of Psychology
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida
Michael A. Regan
Laboratory for Ergonomics and
Cognitive Sciences Applied to
Transport
French National Institute for Transport
and Safety Research (INRETS)
Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
and
Accident Research Centre
Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Paul M. Salmon
Ergonomics Research Group
Brunel University
Uxbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom
John W. Senders
Department of Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Matthew R.H. Smith
Advanced Driver Support Systems
Delphi Electronics & Safety
Carmel, Indiana
Alan Stevens
Transportation Division
Transport Research Laboratory
Wokingham, United Kingdom
Mark R. Stevenson
The George Institute for
International Health
The University of Sydney
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
David L. Strayer
Department of Psychology
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Claes Tingvall
Swedish Road Administration
Borlänge, Sweden
Trent W. Victor
Volvo Technology Corporation/
Chalmers University of Technology
Gothenburg, Sweden
Christopher D. Wickens
Division of Human Factors
University of Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
and
Ma&D Operations
Alionscience Corporation
Boulder, Colorado
Ann Williamson
Department of Aviation
University of New South Wales
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Gerald J. Witt
Advanced Driver Support Systems
Delphi Electronics & Safety
Carmel, Indiana
Kristie L. Young
Accident Research Centre
Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Harry Zhang
Applied Research & Technology
Center
Motorola, Inc.
Tempe, Arizona

English