Visual and manual demands of in-car controls and displays.

The author considers the visual and manual demands of in-car controls and displays and demonstrates that the diversion of vision to secondary tasks within the vehicle must be given particular emphasisin design. Elementary sampling models of the driver are considered and literature reviewed which supports the models. The effect of drivers' age upon their aptitude for performing in-car tasks is also discussed briefly. In-car tasks are shown to have relatively high visual demands which are likely to become more complex. A number of remedies are discussed which may reduce the visual load including specialised displays, auditory displays and training. Other recommendations relate to labels and clutter.