A Decade of Steering Entropy - Use, Impact, and Further Application

Steering entropy was developed as a measure to quantify the increase in workload induced by secondary tasks based on a driver’s steering input while completing the secondary task. Though it has been shown to be highly sensitive to secondary task workload, it has not been used extensively in the distracted driving literature published since its initial publication. Though the reasons for this sparse use are not fully known, the complexity of the procedure for calculating the measure and the lack of available software tools are likely factors. In addition, though the calculation of the measure is described in the original steering entropy publication, and a modification presented later, relatively little guidance exists for properly applying the metric and interpreting its results. This paper examines steering entropy as a metric for driving performance research, investigates the outcomes of research that has utilized the metric to this point, catalogues the effects of violating its assumptions, and presents a framework for appropriate application and further research using the measure. Though it is clear from examining existing literature that steering entropy is promising as an indicator of driving performance, it is also clear that guidelines for appropriate application and interpretation of the measure are needed and currently lacking.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AND30 Simulation and Measurement of Vehicle and Operator Performance
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Crisler, Matthew C
  • Storf, Holger
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
• Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 21p
• Monograph Title: TRB 91st Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Distraction; Driving; Entropy (Communications); Steering
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver workload
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01371376
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 12-0904
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 30 2012 3:01PM