Safety Implication of Auditory and Visual In-Vehicle Interfaces for Older Drivers: The effect of surrogate in-vehicle information systems

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a simulator study that explain potential risks induced by visual and auditory interaction while driving. Differences in subjective distraction and driving performance of younger and older drivers were compared while interacting with two different types of surrogate user interface in a driving simulator. To assess the differences, 30 drivers, divided into younger (25–35) and older (60–69) age groups were participated. Each driving takes about 20 minutes, and participants perform a secondary task, i.e. n-back task or arrow task at a specified segment. Comparisons of younger and older drivers’ subjective ratings of difficulty and perceived distraction and driving performance were conducted. As a result, it was found that the effect of interaction types, i.e. visual and auditory, on younger and older drivers’ performance was significantly different.