Effects of hands-free cellular phone conversational cognitive tasks on driving stability based on driving simulation experiment

Driver distraction due to cellular phone usage is a major contributing factor to road crashes. This study compares the effects of conversational cognitive tasks using hands-free cellular phone on driving performance under three distraction conditions: (1) no distraction (no cellular conversation), (2) normal conversation (non-emotional cellular conversation), and (3) seven-level mathematical calculations. A car-following scenario was implemented using a driving simulator. Thirty young drivers with an average age of 24.1 years maintained a constant speed and distance between the subject vehicle and a leading vehicle on the driving simulator, and then respond to the leading vehicle’s emergency stop. The driving performances were assessed by collecting and statistically analyzing several variables of maneuver stability: the drivers’ brake reaction times, driving speed fluctuation, car-following distance undulation, and car-following time-headway undulation. The results revealed that normal conversation on a hands-free cellular phone impaired driving performance. The degree of impairment caused by normal calculation was equivalent to the distraction caused by Level 3 mathematical calculations according to the seven-level calculation baseline. The calculation difficulty of Level 3 is one double-digit figure plus a single-digit figure, and non-carry addition mental arithmetic is required, e.g., 44 + 4. The results indicated that an increase in the level of complexity of the calculation task was associated with an increase in brake reaction time. The seven-level calculation-task baseline could be applied to measure additional distraction effects on driving performance for further comparison.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2018.06.023
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847817303339
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13698478
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Yan, Wei
  • Xiang, Wang
  • Wong, S C
  • Yan, Xuedong
  • Li, Y C
  • Hao, Wei
• Publication Date: 2018-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 264-281
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
  • Volume: 58
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1369-8478
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Calculation; Car following; Cellular telephones; Cognition; Distraction; Driver performance; Driving simulators; Highway safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Conversation; Hands free telephones
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01675338
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 19 2018 2:45PM