The objective of this study was to determine the effects of display modality, level of driver interaction, and amount of information on the driving performance and system operation performance of commercial drivers. Introducing any level of interaction with an ATIS will probably result in some level of increased workload for the driver. However, it is possible that the increase in workload would not result in unsafe driving behavior. A secondary objective of this study was to determine at what level of ATIS task demand driving performance begins to degrade to the point of becoming unsafe. To test the impact of having commercial drivers operate a multi-function ATIS, a prototype display was developed that would provide a variety of tasks to be performed while driving. The prototype for this experiment consisted of baseline information that was always presented to the driver in addition to an underlying menu structure that allows the driver to perform more complex information retrieval functions. The baseline ATIS display used for both taxi and truck drivers was identical, while the underlying menu structures were different to reflect the different types of information the drivers might require or desire. The system was designed for use as a visual-only system or as a combination visual and auditory system. An auditory-only system was not tested because it was felt that any feasible system would include at least some visual elements. Based upon the results of this research, guidelines have been developed to aid in the design of ATIS. (Author/publisher)
Abstract