A comparison of tactile, visual, and auditory warnings for rear-end collision prevention in simulated driving.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the effectiveness of rear-end collision warnings presented in different sensory modalities as a function of warning timing in a driving simulator.


BACKGROUND
The proliferation of in-vehicle information and entertainment systems threatens driver attention and may increase the risk of rear-end collisions. Collision warning systems have been shown to improve inattentive and/or distracted driver response time (RT) in rear-end collision situations. However, most previous rear-end collision warning research has not directly compared auditory, visual, and tactile warnings.


METHODS
Sixteen participants in a fixed-base driving simulator experienced four warning conditions: no warning, visual, auditory, and tactile. The warnings activated when the time-to-collision (TTC) reached a critical threshold of 3.0 or 5.0 s. Driver RT was captured from a warning below critical threshold to brake initiation.


RESULTS
Drivers with a tactile warning had the shortest mean RT. Drivers with a tactile warning had significantly shorter RT than drivers without a warning and had a significant advantage over drivers with visual warnings.


CONCLUSIONS
Tactile warnings show promise as effective rear-end collision warnings.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study can be applied to the future design and evaluation of automotive warnings designed to reduce rear-end collisions.
United States Air Force, Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA. jeffrey.scott@edwards.af.mil
J J
JJ
Scott
Robert
R
Gray
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D001336:Automobiles / Q000592:standards*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011482:Protective Devices; D011930:Reaction Time; D014110:Touch; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014796:Visual Perception