A sociotechnical systems approach to driver distraction

The impact of driver distraction on road safety has been a focus of Human Factors research for over half a century. Over this time, developments in technology have served to increase the impact of driver distraction. Mobile phones have attracted much attention within the field, however other technological tasks that are bought into the vehicle by the driver, as well as those that are built in to the vehicle by manufacturers, also negatively affect the drivers’ safe monitoring of the road environment. Traditional methods employed to manage the issue have been critiqued for being too focused on the individual. It is argued that the focus should be on the role of the wider sociotechnical system within which the behaviour occurs. This thesis seeks to explore the issue of driver distraction from technological devices by taking a sociotechnical systems approach. Initial work with this thesis identified a possible research-practise gap, with a shift towards systems thinking in road transport research that did not translate into recommendations made in practise. Seeking to fill this gap, an exploratory model of driver distraction was developed from the literature using grounded theory methodology. The model presents five factors of distraction that account for the sociotechnical system within which the behaviour emerges. The model is developed, applied and validated through its application to a case study, Accimap analysis, a semi-structured interview study and driving studies in simulated and on-road settings. Throughout these research studies the sociotechnical system surrounding the behaviour has been explored to understand the drivers’ interaction with technological devices. From this perspective, countermeasures are recommended to enhance road safety. This thesis provides theoretical, methodological and practical recommendations for future driver distraction mitigation strategies that are relevant to research practitioners, industry and policy makers

Resilient interactions between cyclists and drivers, and what does this mean for automated vehicles?

The road transport system is a complex sociotechnical system that relies on a number of formal and informal rules of the road to ensure safety and resilience. Interactions between vulnerable road users and drivers often includes informal communication channels that are tightly linked to social norms, user expectations and the environmental context. Automated vehicles have a challenge in being able to communicate and respond to these informal rules of the road, therefore additional technologies are required to better support vulnerable road users. This paper presents the informal rules that cyclists and drivers employ within a cyclist overtake manoeuvre, through qualitative data collected from focus groups and interviews with road users. These informal rules are classified into the key elements of resilience (monitor, detect, anticipate, respond and learn) to understand how they guide the resilient interactions between road users. Using a human factors approach, the Perceptual Cycle Model shows how information is communicated between different road users and created by the situational context. This is then used to inform how automation will alter the communication between cyclists and drivers, and what additional feedback mechanisms will be needed to support the systems resilience. Technologies that can support these feedback mechanisms are proposed as avenues for future development

Good intentions: drivers’ decisions to engage with technology on the road and in a driving simulator

Distraction-related accidents are, more often than not, due to the drivers’ voluntarily engagement with a secondary task. Therefore, the strategic management of in-vehicle tasks and the drivers’ decision to engage with them is an important aspect of the driver distraction phenomenon that needs to be addressed. While the consequences of distracting tasks are often assessed in settings where the risk of engaging is reduced (i.e., simulators), the drivers’ decision to engage with secondary tasks is often ignored. This study assessed the drivers’ decision to engage with secondary tasks using verbal protocols to provide insights into the drivers’ intention within a naturalistic driving setting, on the road, and in a simulated driving environment. This enabled an understanding of when drivers engage with technological distractions, why they choose to do so, as well as how they may go about doing it. Different road types were found to differentially impact the drivers’ intention to engage, as did the types of secondary tasks, with some tasks having an increased willingness to engage compared to others. Factors that increase and/or reduce the likelihood of engaging are presented. The decisions that drivers made to engage with secondary tasks in the simulator were found to correlate strongly to their decision to so on the road. This provides support for the use of simulators when assessing the drivers’ decision to engage with secondary tasks. The effect of verbal protocols on the drivers’ speed metrics was assessed to determine how they may have affected their driving performance.</p

Resilience engineering on the road: using operator event sequence diagrams and system failure analysis to enhance cyclist and vehicle interactions

Future visions of transport systems include both a drive towards automated vehicles and the need for sustainable, active, modes of travel. The combination of these requirements needs careful consideration to ensure the integration of automated vehicles does not compromise vulnerable road users. Transport networks need to be resilient to automation integration, which requires foresight of possible challenges in their interaction with other road users. Focusing on a cyclist overtake scenario, the application of operator event sequence diagrams and a predictive systems failure method provide a novel way to analyse resilience. The approach offers the opportunity to review how automation can be positively integrated into road transportation to overcome the shortfalls of the current system by targeting organisational, procedural, equipment and training measures

Understanding the human factors challenge of handover between levels of automation for uncrewed air systems: a systematic literature review

Using uncrewed air systems (UASs) as part of the logistics chain is anticipated to reduce overall operating costs and speed up delivery. One particular challenge faced by UAS operators is in handover between high levels of autonomous control and piloted control. This review presents the findings from the published literature based on the human factors of handover between levels of automation within different domains. A total of 188 full publications were reviewed of which 52 publications were included. The literature outlines several challenges in transition of handover in publications focussing on UASs, crewed flight, healthcare, maritime, robotics and air traffic control. Interventions included interface design, training strategies, the design of the automation itself to support the operator and organisational design opportunities. There is currently only a small literature base, understanding the application of human factors interventions and their benefits to this unique application needs to be better understood to support effective operational safety

Future technology on the flight deck: assessing the use of touchscreens in vibration environments

Use of touchscreens in the flight deck has been steadily increasing, however their usability may be severely impacted when turbulent conditions arise. Most previous research focusses on using touchscreens in static conditions, therefore this study assessed touchscreen use whilst undergoing turbulent representative motion, generated using a 6-axis motion simulator. Touchscreens were tested in centre, side and overhead positions, to investigate how turbulence affected: (1) error rate, movement times and accuracy, (2) arm fatigue and discomfort. Two touchscreen technologies were compared: a 15� infra-red and a 17.3� projected capacitive touchscreen with force sensing capability. The potential of the force sensing capability to minimise unintentional interactions was also investigated. Twenty-six participants undertook multi-direction tapping (ISO 9241; ISO, 2010) and gesture tasks, under four vibration conditions (control, light chop, light turbulence and moderate turbulence). Error rate, movement time and workload increased and usability decreased significantly, with screen position and increasing turbulence level

Trustworthy UAV relationships: Applying the Schema Action World taxonomy to UAVs and UAV swarm operations

Human Factors play a significant role in the development and integration of avionic systems to ensure that they are trusted and can be used effectively. As Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology becomes increasingly important to the aviation domain this holds true. The study presented in this paper aims to gain an understanding of UAV operators’ trust requirements when piloting UAVs by utilising a popular aviation interview methodology (Schema World Action Research Method), in combination with key questions on trust identified from the literature. Interviews were conducted with six UAV operators, with a range of experience, to identify the trust requirements that UAV operators hold and their views on how UAV swarms may alter the trust relationship between the operator and the UAV technology. Both methodological and practical contributions of the research interviews are discussed

The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors at 75: perspectives on contemporary challenges and future directions for Ergonomics and Human Factors

As the UK’s Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) celebrates its 75th anniversary, it is worth reflecting on our discipline’s contribution, current state, and critical future endeavours. We present the perspectives of 18 EHF professionals who were asked to respond to five questions regarding the impact of EHF, contemporary challenges, and future directions. Co-authors were in agreement that EHF’s impact has been only limited to date and that critical issues require resolution, such as increasing the number of suitably qualified practitioners, resolving the research-practice gap, and increasing awareness of EHF and its benefits. Frequently discussed future directions include advanced emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the development of new EHF methods, and enhancing the quality and reach of education and training. The majority felt there will be a need for EHF in 75 years; however, many noted that our methods will need to adapt to meet new needs.Practitioner statement: This article provides the perspectives of 18 Ergonomics and Human Factors (EHF) professionals on the impact of EHF, contemporary challenges and critical future directions, and changes that are necessary to ensure EHF remains relevant in future. As such, it provides important guidance on future EHF research and practice