Does the Hands-free Mobile Phone Facilitate or Impede Driving Performance?

摘要

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of hands-free mobile phone use on driving performance. The independent variables were two within-subjects factors (the types of in-car tasks and the frequencies of sudden traffic events). The dependent measures of driving performance were reaction time, tracking bias and speed control. 32 undergraduate students of Minghsin Institute of Technology conducted the experiment in virtual driving environments. The results indicated that the interaction between in-car tasks and sudden traffic events was statistically significant on reaction time. Finally, the interface design principles of the mobile phones were discussed in order to obtain safety benefits.