NTL Record

Title Driver Distraction: Eye Glance Analysis and Conversation Workload
Record ID 56289
Personal Name
Creator
Hickman, Jeffrey S.; Soccolich, Susan; Fitch, Greg; Hanowski, Richard J.
Corporate Creator Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Center for Truck and Bus Safety
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Office of Analysis, Research, and Technology
Publication Date 20151100
Language English
Abstract The objective of this project was to assess the risk of performing a secondary task while driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV). The risk of conversation workload while driving a CMV was also assessed. Conversation workload is a proxy for cognitive distraction or the amount of mental workload associated with thinking about something other than the driving task. The data were collected from an existing naturalistic driving dataset. Naturalistic driving data records a driver performing his or her normal duties. The data were from 6,379 commercial trucks and buses during a 4-month period. The study found that talking to passenger(s) significantly increased the risk of a safety critical event (SCE). However, talking or listening on an electronic device while driving did not pose a significant risk. Drivers who looked away from the forward roadway close to the trigger point were more likely to be involved in an SCE. Talking time analyses showed that the longer a driver talked while driving, the less likely that driver was to be involved in an SCE. Results from the conversation workload analyses were inconclusive because there were not enough data for an assessment. Finally, the current study compared spurious and random baselines. Spurious baselines are recordings that are triggered by events not related to safety such as a vehicle traveling across railroad tracks. The study found that talking time and visual distraction plots for random and spurious baselines were similar. As a result, spurious baselines are acceptable for use in place of random baselines
Rosap ID dot:212
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/212
ResearchHub ID 5728
TRT Terms Distracted driving; Eye movements; Eye location; Workload; Commercial vehicles; Highway safety; Data collection; Evaluation
General Subjects Research Hub; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
1583587
Contract Number DTMC75-11-J-00056
Report Number FMCSA-RRR-14-001
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/56000/56200/56289/14-001-Cognitive_Distraction-FINAL-NOV_2015.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository