Integration of ATIS and crash avoidance in-vehicle information : preliminary simulator study

Bittner, A.C.; Kantowitz, B.H.; Simsek, O. · 1999 · ROSA P / Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

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Summary

This study, conducted by Battelle’s Human Factors Transportation Center for the Federal Highway Administration, investigates the human factors implications of integrating Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) with Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS). The research addresses three primary questions: the influence of ATIS on driver performance under reduced visibility, the impact of ATIS on reactions to unexpected roadway events, and the interaction between ATIS and CAS alerts. The motivation stems from the need to develop precise design guidelines for Intelligent Transportation Systems to ensure they align with driver cognitive capabilities and do not compromise safety. The research employed a two-phase experimental design using a high-fidelity driving simulator. Phase I utilized a fractional-factorial design with eight subjects to build an initial performance model, while Phase II used a traditional orthogonal full-factorial design with twelve subjects to refine the model. Participants drove scenarios involving variable message signs (VMS) and in-vehicle ATIS displays under clear and foggy conditions. They also encountered unexpected events, such as pedestrian incursions and CAS-triggered collision warnings. Dependent variables included mean speed, lane position stability, and response times to events. Results indicated that mean driving speed was lower in the ATIS condition compared to the control condition, whereas out-of-vehicle VMS messages did not alter speed. Contrary to hypotheses, visibility conditions (clear vs. fog) did not significantly influence the effects of ATIS or VMS on driving performance; drivers performed consistently across both conditions. Regarding event detection, ATIS messages interfered with drivers’ ability to react to pedestrian road incursions, increasing response times. However, ATIS messages did not interfere with reactions to CAS warnings. The study suggests that CAS alerts are robust enough to override ATIS distraction, possibly because both originate within the vehicle, whereas external events like pedestrians suffer from attentional competition with in-vehicle displays. The findings highlight both benefits and costs of in-vehicle information systems. While ATIS may encourage conservative speed choices, it imposes an attentional cost that can delay responses to external hazards. The lack of interference with CAS suggests that critical safety warnings can coexist with informational displays if designed appropriately. The authors conclude that while these preliminary simulator results provide a reasonable test bed for evaluating system interactions, further expansion and on-road replication are necessary before definitive design guidelines can be established with high confidence.

Key finding

An ATIS message interfered with the driver’s ability to react to a pedestrian road incursion but did not interfere with a CAS warning.

Methodology

simulator

Sample size: 20

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• situational awareness
• useful field of view
• external distraction
• feedback modes
• simulator sickness

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
• Methodological Resource: tool software, validation psychometrics