Citation

Nowosielski RJ, Trick LM. Accid. Reconstr. J. 2019; 29(4): 12-15.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Drivers engaging in secondary tasks may experience distractions that can contribute to collision. How much a distraction interferes with driving performance depends on how much the task contributes to the driver's cognitive load. Listening to audiobooks is a secondary task that has been rarely studied; however, there is some evidence to say that audiobooks may be more cognitively stimulating than listening to the radio and may be effective in alleviating the effects of boredom that occur during monotonous drives. The authors tested this idea by recruiting 29 drivers at the University of Guelph to complete three drives over the course of an hour, either on straight roads with little scenery or on complex roads with curves, scenery and traffic. Drivers either drove without engaging in other tasks, listened to audiobooks or had a handsfree cellphone conversation. The study revealed beneficial effects of engaging in some types of secondary task while driving. When driving on simple, monotonous roads, hazard response times were found to be faster for those listening to audiobooks than those who either drove without any secondary task or drove while using a handsfree cellphone.

Language: en

Keywords

Cellular telephones; Hazards; Highway safety; Cognition; Driver performance; Distraction; Highway curves; Audio media; Guelph (Canada); Scenic highways