The effects of using mobile phones and navigation systems during driving

The effects of using mobile phones and navigation systems during driving Driving might be the most complex task that many engage in on a daily basis. Drivers need to pay attention to other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, while keeping the car safely between the road markings and at an appropriate distance from any vehicle in front. Several factors relating to human behaviour affect the likelihood of someone being involved in a crash. The WHO (2015) distinguishes speed, drink driving, motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints, and distracted driving as the key risk factors. Many countries have put distraction as one of their policy priorities for the coming years. The precise impact of distracted driving on crash likelihood is not known yet. Estimates of road user distraction being a contributory factor in accidents range from 10 to 30% (TRL, TNO, & RappTrans, 2015). This thesis focuses on drivers being distracted from mobile phones and navigation systems, and how their driving performance is affected. Mobile phones are predominantly smartphones nowadays, with touchscreens, downloadable apps and e-mail. Most drivers in Western countries own a mobile phone. Navigation systems may help the driver navigate, providing both efficient routes and comfort. Navigation systems are widely used, for instance in the Netherlands two third of all Dutch households own a portable navigation system in 2015 (KiM, 2015).TRAIL Thesis Series T2018/10, the Netherlands TRAIL Research SchoolTransport and Plannin

Field research concerning contra-flow as a measure for massive evacuation

The present study concerns a practice test that aimed at investigating to what extent contra flow or reverse laning (Dutch: tegenverkeer) works well in the Netherlands and how participating car drivers evaluate it. Reverse laning may be a solution for a capacity problem in case all lanes of roads are needed to evacuate large areas. To that end, the lanes of the Bornholmstraat (an entry / exit street near the Euroborg Soccer Stadium in Groningen) were reversed in one, outward-bound direction after a selected FC Groningen soccer match. The coincidental participants received a short questionnaire that contained a few questions concerning their behavior, opinions and feelings about the evacuation. To maximize the response rate a bonus was announced; if they returned the questionnaire, it gave them a chance of winning VIP tickets for a FC Groningen match. The 690 useful respondents who had driven in the reversed lanes situation thought that the test setup was safe and understandable; 79.3% had chosen the right lane corresponding to their stated destination, 79.2% had felt safe. Capacity gains by an extra traffic lane in the outward-bound direction were estimated at 50 to 80%, leading to the conclusion that reverse laning may well be used in Dutch evacuation plans. Recommendations are made to that purpose.Engineering, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Do in-car devices affect experienced users' driving performance?

Distracted driving is considered to be an important factor in road safety. To investigate how experienced user's driving behaviour is affected by in-vehicle technology, a fixed-base driving simulator was used. 20 participants drove twice in a rich simulated traffic environment while performing secondary, i.e. mobile phone and navigation system tasks. The results show that mean speed was lower in all experimental conditions, compared to baseline driving, while subjective effort increased. Lateral performance deteriorated only during visual–manual tasks, i.e. texting and destination entry, in which the participants glanced off the forward road for a substantial amount of time. Being experienced in manipulating in-car devices does not solve the problem of dual tasking when the primary task is a complex task like driving a moving vehicle. The results and discussion may shed some light on the current debate regarding phone use hazards.Engineering, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Phoning, texting, operating a navigation system, and following route guidance

Engineering, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen