Effects of voice technology on test track driving performance: implications for driver distraction

Area of Science:

• Human-computer interaction
• Cognitive psychology
• Automotive engineering

Background:

• In-vehicle information systems (IVIS) are increasingly complex, posing risks to driver safety.
• Secondary tasks performed while driving can significantly impair performance.
• Understanding the impact of different interface types on driver distraction is crucial for IVIS design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the driving performance degradation caused by secondary tasks using voice-based versus visual/manual interfaces.
• To assess the effectiveness of voice interfaces in mitigating driver distraction.
• To identify the types of resources (peripheral vs. attentional) diverted by in-vehicle tasks.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one participants performed car-following, peripheral target detection, and secondary tasks (radio tuning, phone dialing, in-vehicle computer interactions) in an instrumented vehicle on a closed track.
• Driving performance was measured through vehicle control, target detection accuracy, and car-following behavior.
• Secondary tasks were performed using both voice-based and visual/manual interfaces.

Main Results:

• Drivers compensated for secondary task demands by increasing following distance.
• Performing secondary tasks led to significant decrements in vehicle control, target detection, and car-following performance.
• Voice-based interfaces showed modest improvements in vehicle control and target detection but not car-following, indicating reduced peripheral impairment but not attentional impairment.

Conclusions:

• In-vehicle tasks divert both peripheral (visual/manual) and attentional (cognitive) resources from driving.
• Voice-based interfaces can reduce peripheral distraction but do not fully alleviate attentional impairment.
• Research findings can inform the design of safer in-vehicle information systems and evaluation protocols for their distraction potential.