Citation

Divekar G, Pradhan AK, Pollatsek A, Fisher DL. Accid. Reconstr. J. 2014; 24(3): 11-16.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Previous research has found that novice and experienced drivers spend equally long times looking at distractions outside the vehicle, such as video billboards. These external distractions are known to impact such vehicle control measures as the minimum headway distance to a breaking lead vehicle. On the other hand, experienced drivers have been found to less frequently engage in long glances at distractions within the vehicle in comparison to novice drivers. In this article, the authors examine why experienced drivers take long glances at external distractions but not in-vehicle distractions and whether these drivers are sacrificing their ability to anticipate unseen hazards. A simulator study is conducted comparing the eye behavior of 24 novice and 24 experienced drivers as they perform external tasks. The study provides evidence that external tasks are distracting not only for novice drivers but also for experienced drivers. It also shows that both novice and experienced drivers' anticipation of hazards is impacted by external distraction.


Keywords: Driver distraction;