The aim of the project was to review the existing research concerning driver distraction due to information and communication systems (ICS). Based on this review, the most relevant types of distraction with regard to traffic safety were to be identified. Furthermore, possible countermeasures and open questions for research were discussed. A literature review was used to define relevant ICS and their usage. Information from the internet provided an estimate about the availability of different ICS in cars. Nearly every car provides options to control the climate in the car, audio functions and car information (onboard computer). Hands-free telephoning and navigation systems are available in somewhat less than half of the cars. Advanced driver assistance systems are increasingly entering the market. However, estimations differ widely between 4 and 40%. A second review was aimed at estimating usage of ICS. Estimations strongly depended on the method. Observations provide relatively low estimates between 1 and 4 % which roughly corresponds to the amount of driving time when ICS are used. Interviews of drivers ask about whether ICS are used at least at some of the trips. Accordingly, estimations range between 30 and 90%. It should also be noted that estimations for Germany are still rare and have up to date used only relatively small samples. The focus of the project was a meta-analysis with 53 publications, 56 studies and 598 observations. A vote-counting was used to describe how many observations with ICS while driving were significantly different from baseline (driving without ICS). The largest percentage was found for reading and writing text messages (69%) followed by using the navigation system (usually entering a destination) and the phone (most often selecting a number) with 62%. Phoning and selecting a title with a mp3-player lead to 47% findings and sending a text message to 44%. The least effects were found for tuning the radio (17%) and accepting a text message without reading it (15%). The discussion of possible solutions was difficult because much relevant information is lacking. Especially for Germany studies are needed to estimate the usage of ICS while driving in order to select those ICS which are most frequently used in traffic. Moreover, case-control studies and simulator studies are needed to better quantify accident risk due to ICS. In simulator studies, compensatory efforts of the drivers have to be taken into account for a realistic result. Overall, text messages seem to be a very relevant topic with regard to the effect of ICS on traffic safety. (Author/publisher)
Abstract