Driver Performance and Memory for Traffic Messages. Effects of the Number of211 Messages, Audio Quality, and Relevance

摘要

In this experiment, 32 licensed drivers (16 young, 16 old) drove on an211u001eexpressway. On each trial (96 per sublect), 1 to 3 traffic messages containing 6 211u001eto 14 items were presented. ('I-94 eastbound at Southfield freeway, continuing 211u001econstruction, right lane blocked, 3 mile backup.') Imagining they were driving 211u001efrom Ann Arbor to Detroit on I-94, subjects identified messages relevant to that 211u001eroute and recalled them. Messages were either of good or poor audio quality (to 211u001esimulate poor reception). Drivers familiar with the route correctly recognized 211u001eabout 85% of the relevant messages. Typically 4 items were recalled regardless of 211u001emessage lenght, with the road and crossroad being most common. Drivers recalled 211u001ethe direction to which the message pertained (e.g., I-94 east) only 39 percent of 211u001ethe time. Drivers believed the traffic information system was safe and useful to 211u001elisten to while driving (approximately 9 on a 10-point scale) and would pay $177 211u001eon average for one, though most subjects were not willing to pay anything. Of the 211u001emessage characteristics, message audio quality had the largest adverse impact on 211u001eperformance (increasing speed variance). Differences were also found between (1) 211u001edriving, (2) driving while listening to messages (slight increases in speed 211u001evariance), and (3) driving while speaking with the experimenter (further 211u001eincreases in speed variance). This is in contrast to claims that dealing with 211u001eauditory information while driving has no impact on driving workload and is not a 211u001esafety concern.