Occlusion
In-vehicle information systems (IVIS) such as satellite navigation and communication devices can assist the driver, but there are also some negative safety issues - these include the possibility that IVIS may distract drivers, increase their workload or encourage them to engage in non-driving related tasks. |
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The key objective of this project was to address the issues required to establish an effective method for the assessment of any IVIS. The Occlusion technique is a method for making such assessments. It is a method for measuring how demanding a task is by intermittently blocking an individual's view of a system by means of specially designed goggles: the longer it takes to complete a task when the goggles are blinking off and on, the more demanding the task is likely to be.
The project successfully collected and analysed a great deal of data and has received a large amount of international attention. The impact of age on performance of IVIS tasks was assessed, expert evaluations were conducted and distracting IVIS tasks were benchmarked against a known driving impairment (alcohol). A protocol was developed for the measurement of how demanding a particular task is using the Occlusion technique. Furthermore, it proposed criteria for the acceptability of different tasks.
For more information on this project, please contact Andi Flint, Head of Human Factors and Simulation, on +44 (0)1344 770871 or aflint@trl.co.uk.
