Applying NHTSA task acceptance criteria to different simulated driving scenarios

Large, David R; van Loon, Editha; Burnett, Gary; Pournami, Sudeep

Abstract

Driver distraction is a major contributor to road traffic accidents. Consequently, NHTSA have published detailed guidelines intended to discourage the introduction of excessively distracting electronic devices in vehicles. However, concerns have been raised regarding the theoretical basis and ecological validity of the NHTSA Eye Glance Testing Using a Driving Simulator (EGDS) testing protocol. In particular, it has been noted that the driving scenario is over-simplified and acceptance is predicated on absolute measures determined from a poorly defined and out-dated reference task (‘radio-tuning’). Using a medium-fidelity driving simulator, a new prototype touchscreen interface was evaluated in full compliance with the NHTSA EGDS test protocol. As a comparison, the same interface was then tested using a well-established (‘standard’) driving scenario. Results show that the different scenarios elicited significantly different visual behaviour with drivers placing more emphasis (extended TEORT and MGD) on secondary task performance during the NHTSA scenario. Furthermore, driving performance measures indicated higher levels of ‘presence’ associated with the ‘standard’ environment. Conclusions are drawn regarding the effect of primary task demand on secondary task performance and NHTSA-compliance, and the validity of the proposed test scenario and reference task.

Citation

Large, D. R., van Loon, E., Burnett, G., & Pournami, S. (2015, September). Applying NHTSA task acceptance criteria to different simulated driving scenarios. Presented at The 7th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications, Nottingham, United Kingdom

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: The 7th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications
• Start Date: Sep 1, 2015
• End Date: Sep 3, 2015
• Acceptance Date: Sep 1, 2015
• Publication Date: 2015
• Deposit Date: May 9, 2019
• Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Pages: 117-124
• Book Title: AutomotiveUI '15: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications
• ISBN: 9781450337366
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/2799250.2799254
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2035720
• Publisher URL: https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=2799250.2799254