The evaluation of in-vehicle information and telecommunications systems from the standpoint of driver distraction is of great importance to highway safety and the successful deployment of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) initiative. In this paper, several issues are discussed that bear upon the evaluation of distraction associated with such systems are discussed. The range of distraction phenomena that should be examined are described. The measures commonly used to assess such demands are mentioned. The issue of incidence of use is introduced with a numerical example to illustrate its importance in estimating the safety impact of a technology. The hazard analysis approach to predicting safety impacts in terms of crash counts is discussed, again with a numerical example showing potential pitfalls of restricting attention to “near miss” data only. Finally, the prospects of building a solid case for the importance of driver distraction on highway safety is discussed by drawing an analogy with research into the link between smoking and cancer. (Author/publisher).
Abstract