It has been suggested that driver visual allocation is influenced by familiarity with the task. An experimental study was conducted using expert and novice drivers in a driving simulator. Whilst driving, subjects were instructed to perform tasks of varying complexity with an in-car entertainment (ICE) system and to continuously report verbally. Measurements were taken of: visual allocation, driver and vehicle performance, verbal report and subjective perceptions of well-being. The analysis presented here focuses on visual behaviour and car control. Results indicate significant differences for all participants with level of task complexity. Novices were shown to have significantly different visual allocation to experts. The implications of the use of in-vehicle information systems by novice drivers are discussed. (A)
Abstract