Driver distraction is a major contributing factor to automobile crashes. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has estimated that approximately 25% of crashes are attributed to driver distraction and inattention (Wang, Knipling, & Goodman, 1996). The issue of driver distraction may become worse in the next few years because more electronic devices (e.g., cell phones, navigation systems, wireless Internet and email devices) are brought into vehicles that can potentially create more distraction. In response to this situation, the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC), in support of NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Research, awarded a contract to Delphi Electronics & Safety to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate the potential safety benefits of adaptive interface technologies that manage the information from various in-vehicle systems based on real-time monitoring of the roadway conditions and the driver's capabilities. The contract, known as SAfety VEhicle(s) using adaptive Interface Technology (SAVE-IT), is designed to mitigate distraction with effective countermeasures and enhance the effectiveness of safety warning systems. The SAVE-IT program serves several important objectives. Perhaps the most important objective is demonstrating a viable proof of concept that is capable of reducing distraction-related crashes and enhancing the effectiveness of safety warning systems. Program success is dependent on integrated closed-loop principles that, not only include sophisticated telematics, mobile office, entertainment and safety warning systems, but also incorporate the state of the driver. This revolutionary closed-loop vehicle environment will be achieved by measuring the driver’s state, assessing the situational threat, prioritizing information presentation, providing adaptive countermeasures to minimize distraction, and optimizing advanced collision warning. To achieve the objective, Delphi Electronics & Safety has assembled a comprehensive team including researchers and engineers from the University of Iowa, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Seeing Machines, Inc. The SAVE-IT program is divided into two phases. Phase I spans one year (March 2003--March 2004) and consists of nine human factors tasks (Tasks 1-9) and one technology development task (Task 10) for determination of diagnostic measures of driver distraction and workload, architecture concept development, technology development, and Phase II planning. Each of the Phase I tasks is further divided into two sub-tasks. In the first sub-tasks (Tasks 1, 2A-10A), the literature is reviewed, major findings are summarized, and research needs are identified. In the second sub-tasks (Tasks 1, 2B-10B), experiments will be performed and data will be analyzed to identify diagnostic measures of distraction and workload and determine effective and driver-friendly countermeasures. Phase II will span approximately two years (October 2004--October 2006) and consist of a continuation of seven Phase I tasks (Tasks 2C--8C) and five additional tasks (Tasks 11-15) for algorithm and guideline development, data fusion, integrated countermeasure development, vehicle demonstration, and evaluation of benefits. This document reports on the results of Task 1 of the SAVE-IT project. This document presents the methods utilized for analysis of CDS crash data and the soliciting of opinions from several experts in the field of driver distraction. Results from the crash database analyses are presented along with the feedback from the experts. The report concludes with an analysis of the previous literature review, crash analyses, and expert opinions to determine the most important crash types, driving scenarios, and distractors for the SAVE-IT system. (Author/publisher)
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