Changes in driver behaviour as a function of handsfree mobile phones— A simulator study

Alm, Håkan; Nilsson, Lena · 1994 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/0001-4575(94)90035-3

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Summary

This 1994 simulator study by Håkan Alm and Lena Nilsson investigates how hands-free mobile phone use affects driver behavior, specifically examining reaction time, lane position, speed, and mental workload. The research was motivated by growing concerns regarding traffic safety as mobile phone usage increased in Europe. The authors sought to determine if the complexity of the driving task moderated these effects, hypothesizing that negative impacts would be more pronounced during difficult driving conditions. The study utilized the VTI driving simulator with 40 experienced drivers (aged 23–61) randomly assigned to a 2x2 factorial design. The two factors were driving task complexity (an "easy" straight route versus a "hard" curvy route) and the presence of a telephone task (experimental group receiving eight incoming calls versus a control group). The telephone task involved the Working Memory Span Test, requiring drivers to judge sentence sensibility and recall words while driving. Performance metrics included brake reaction time to a visual stimulus, lateral vehicle position, speed, and subjective workload measured via the NASA-TLX scale. Contrary to the initial predictions, the strongest negative effects on driving performance occurred during the easy driving task. Drivers using the phone on the easy route exhibited significantly slower reaction times (a difference of 0.385 seconds) and reduced speed levels compared to controls. In the hard driving condition, the phone task had no significant effect on reaction time or speed; however, it did negatively affect lateral position control, causing greater deviations from the lane center. Subjective workload increased significantly for phone users in both conditions, with higher frustration levels reported during the hard task. Interestingly, the complexity of the driving task did not significantly impair the drivers' ability to perform the telephone task itself. The authors conclude that drivers prioritize tasks based on perceived demand. During easy driving, drivers allocate primary attention to the phone, neglecting driving vigilance and slowing down. During hard driving, drivers prioritize vehicle control, suppressing the impact of the phone on reaction time and speed but struggling with lateral stability. The study challenges the assumption that phone use is safe during easy driving, demonstrating that distraction leads to degraded performance even when driving demands are low. These findings have implications for the design of in-car information systems, suggesting that cognitive load management is critical regardless of road geometry.

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Topics

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• mobile phones
• manual
• visual manual
• distraction laws
• auditory
• mental demand

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data, observational prevalence
• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model