Couples, contentious conversations, mobile telephone use and driving.

Area of Science:

• Human-computer interaction
• Transportation safety
• Psychology

Background:

• In-vehicle technology use can negatively impact driver performance.
• The effects of engaging in difficult conversations while driving are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the socio-technical implications of difficult conversations on driver performance.
• To compare driving performance during difficult conversations with a partner present versus hands-free.

Main Methods:

• A driving-simulator experiment was conducted with 20 romantically involved couples.
• Participants engaged in emotionally difficult conversations identified via a revealed differences protocol.
• Conversations were held either hands-free or with the partner physically present in the simulator.

Main Results:

• Difficult conversations were subjectively perceived as more emotionally taxing than control tasks.
• Driver performance, specifically longitudinal and lateral vehicle control, was adversely affected.
• Driving performance was significantly worse when conversations occurred with the partner present.

Conclusions:

• Difficult conversations, especially in-person, pose a significant risk to driving safety.
• Drivers may be better able to manage driving demands without a present conversational partner during emotionally charged discussions.