Effects of simulator practice and real-world experience on cell-phone-related driver distraction
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Summary
Multi-day simulator study testing whether practice or real-world cell phone usage attenuates dual-task driving impairment. Drivers reporting either high or low real-world cell phone usage completed four 90-minute simulator sessions on successive days, split into a practice phase and a novel transfer phase. Dual-task deficits persisted across all four days and across the transfer phase, and high- and low-experience groups showed equivalent impairment when conversing on a hands-free phone. The authors conclude that practice is unlikely to eliminate the disruptive effect of in-vehicle conversation and that the findings are relevant to public-policy decisions about cell phone restrictions while driving.
Key finding
Neither extended simulator practice nor self-reported real-world cell phone experience reduced driving impairment from hands-free conversation; dual-task deficits persisted through practice and into novel transfer driving.
Methodology
Mixed-design driving-simulator experiment crossing real-world cell phone usage (high vs. low) with cell-phone vs. single-task driving across four 90-minute sessions on consecutive days. Sessions split into a practice phase and a novel transfer phase to dissociate task-specific learning from generalized dual-task improvement.
Sample size: Four 90-minute sessions per participant across two real-world-usage groups (high vs. low cell phone use)
Quality score: 5 / 5