Driver Distraction – Are modern vehicle’s information and control systems a help or a hinderance to driver distraction?
Modern vehicles have many ways to make information available to drivers, about the cars performance or entertainment options or even inputs to assist in the driving task.
But excessive information, or poorly communicated information and actions can be a distraction more than a help
Overdrive has but a team together to constructively look at how drivers are interacting with modern systems, and to encourage best practice in future vehicle designs.
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Issues include:
Excessive information
Information that is not relevant to the immediate driving task
Information that is difficult to read – some numbers and symbols on vehicle screen is about the size of the bottom line of an eye chart
Symbols that are not commonly understood
Information that may encourage more aggressive driving or
Simple tasks that require multiple steps
This is all part of what is more formally called the human machine interface.
The team includes:
- David Brown
Engineer BE (hons)
Traffic engineering, transport planning, policy development and behaviour change
- Michael Regan, PhD
Emeritus Professor
Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation
University of NSW, Sydney
- Alan Evans
Former President of the NRMA
Managing Director of Dyno Dynamics
- Terry Thompson – OAM
President – Govt. Liaison council of Motor Clubs Inc.
- Evan Jones
Former Safety Officer with the Railways Department
- Ian Andersen
Research Fellow
We are also in conversation with an expert in the subject of ergonomics not just from physical aspects such as the setup of the driver’s seat but from a broader perspective of the emotional responses you can create for a regular or an infrequent driver of a vehicle.
If you have any comments you would like to make about your own experiences you can send a note to feedback@drivenmedia.com.au
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Im David Brown
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