The Generic Intelligent Driver Support (GIDS) project of the DRIVE programme aims to develop requirements for an intelligent co-driver system, that may help drivers to behave safely and efficiently in traffic. This chapter considers the design of an optimal interface, which appropriately provides drivers with GIDS information. It concentrates on whether an active gas-pedal can be an element in an integrated information system in a future GIDS car. It aims to reduce the driver's workload by using the accelerator, steering wheel and other controls, not only as control devices, but also as an information system for the driver. An experiment was performed, using the fixed-base driving simulator of the TNO Institute for Perception in The Netherlands. The task of the eight subjects was to drive on a two-lane rural road at 100 kph. They started in the right lane, and approached a lane barricade at a specific position. Each subject had a training session and an experimental session. The results of this exploratory study showed that 'intelligent' force feedback from the accelerator may be a useful way to reduce speed errors. They confirm the idea that this feedback may improve the quality of the driver-car interface from a workload viewpoint. It seems very important that active controls form part of a well-balanced integrated driver support system.
Abstract