title: Signal evaluation environment: a new method for the design of peripheral in-vehicle warning signals.
abstract: An evaluation method called the Signal Evaluation Environment (SEE) was developed for use in the early stages of the design process of peripheral warning signals while driving. Accident analyses have shown that with complex driving situations such as intersections, the visual scan strategies of the driver contribute to overlooking other road users who have the right of way. Salient peripheral warning signals could disrupt these strategies and direct drivers' attention towards these road users. To select effective warning signals, the SEE was developed as a laboratory task requiring visual-cognitive processes similar to those used at intersections. For validation of the SEE, four experiments were conducted using different stimulus characteristics (size, colour contrast, shape, flashing) that influence peripheral vision. The results confirm that the SEE is able to differentiate between the selected stimulus characteristics. The SEE is a useful initial tool for designing peripheral signals, allowing quick and efficient preselection of beneficial signals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traffic and Engineering Psychology, TU Braunschweig, Gaußstraße 23, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany. Julia.Werneke@tu-braunschweig.de
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Werneke
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vollrath
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D011930:Reaction Time; D014796:Visual Perception