<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_abm-2018-0003_s_005_w2aab3b7b2b1b6b1aab1c17b1Aa"><h3>Background</h3><p>Driving performance is influenced by human, vehicular, and environmental factors.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2018-0003_s_006_w2aab3b7b2b1b6b1aab1c17b2Aa"><h3>Objectives</h3><p>To investigate the effects of distraction tasks, such as sending a text message (STM) and searching a navigation device (SN), on the driving performance of experienced taxi drivers.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2018-0003_s_007_w2aab3b7b2b1b6b1aab1c17b3Aa"><h3>Methods</h3><p>Twelve male taxi drivers (age: 56.3 ± 4.4 y; experience: 28.4 ± 6.4 y) and 14 female taxi drivers (age: 55.5 ± 3.5 y; experience: 19.4 ± 5.0 y) drove in a simulator at a constant speed (90 km/h) for 2 min while maintaining a gap of 30 m from the car in front, also traveling at 90 km/h. Participants were instructed to drive only for the first 1 min (control phase). For an additional 1 min (task phase), they were instructed to drive only, drive + STM, or drive + SN.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2018-0003_s_008_w2aab3b7b2b1b6b1aab1c17b4Aa"><h3>Results</h3><p>Compared with driving only, during driving + STM or driving + SN, the drivers’ skin conductance level was relatively increased, suggesting that the distraction task increased the drivers’ workload and sympathetic nervous system activity. Compared with driving only, during driving + STM or driving + SN, the average distance from the car in front, speed deviation, and anterior–posterior and medial–lateral coefficients of variation increased, suggesting that maintaining the instructed gap and speed, and the longitudinal and transverse control of the car, was more difficult because of the distraction task.</p></sec><sec id="j_abm-2018-0003_s_009_w2aab3b7b2b1b6b1aab1c17b5Aa"><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Even for highly experienced taxi drivers, distraction tasks increased workload, increased the difficulty of vehicle control, and detracted from safe driving.</p></sec></abstract>

BackgroundDriving performance is influenced by human, vehicular, and environmental factors.ObjectivesTo investigate the effects of distraction tasks, such as sending a text message (STM) and searching a navigation device (SN), on the driving performance of experienced taxi drivers.MethodsTwelve male taxi drivers (age: 56.3 ± 4.4 y; experience: 28.4 ± 6.4 y) and 14 female taxi drivers (age: 55.5 ± 3.5 y; experience: 19.4 ± 5.0 y) drove in a simulator at a constant speed (90 km/h) for 2 min while maintaining a gap of 30 m from the car in front, also traveling at 90 km/h. Participants were instructed to drive only for the first 1 min (control phase). For an additional 1 min (task phase), they were instructed to drive only, drive + STM, or drive + SN.ResultsCompared with driving only, during driving + STM or driving + SN, the drivers’ skin conductance level was relatively increased, suggesting that the distraction task increased the drivers’ workload and sympathetic nervous system activity. Compared with driving only, during driving + STM or driving + SN, the average distance from the car in front, speed deviation, and anterior–posterior and medial–lateral coefficients of variation increased, suggesting that maintaining the instructed gap and speed, and the longitudinal and transverse control of the car, was more difficult because of the distraction task.ConclusionsEven for highly experienced taxi drivers, distraction tasks increased workload, increased the difficulty of vehicle control, and detracted from safe driving.

Effect of distraction task on driving performance of experienced taxi drivers

Department of Industrial and Management Engineering

Asian Biomedicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"Effect of distraction task on driving performance of experienced taxi drivers"}

BackgroundDriving performance is influenced by human, vehicular, and environmental factors.ObjectivesTo investigate the effects of distraction tasks, such as...

Effect of distraction task on driving performance of experienced taxi drivers

Article Category: Original article

Publié en ligne: 21 mars 2018

Pages: 315 - 322

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/abm-2018-0003

Mots clés
distraction task, driving performance, experienced drivers, sympathetic nervous system, workload

© 2017 Sang-Hyeok Seo, Seung-Hyun Kwak, Soon-Cheol Chung, Hyung-Sik Kim, Byung-Chan Min

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Effect of distraction task on driving performance of experienced taxi drivers

Article Category: Original article

Publié en ligne: 21 mars 2018

Pages: 315 - 322

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/abm-2018-0003

Mots clésdistraction task, driving performance, experienced drivers, sympathetic nervous system, workload

© 2017 Sang-Hyeok Seo, Seung-Hyun Kwak, Soon-Cheol Chung, Hyung-Sik Kim, Byung-Chan Min

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Mots clés
distraction task, driving performance, experienced drivers, sympathetic nervous system, workload