Texting while driving: The impact of common cell phones and Head-Up Display based interaction on safety in simulated driving

Lyngsie, Kaspar ; Skouboe Pedersen, Martin ; Fiedler Vestergaard, Kim

4. term

Software, Master

2011

Denne masterafhandling undersøger, hvordan tekstindtastning på almindelige mobiltelefoner og Head-Up Display (HUD)‑baserede løsninger påvirker trafiksikkerheden under simuleret kørsel. Vi byggede og forbedrede trinvis en lavpris bilsimulator som testplatform og gennemførte forsøg i motorvejs- og byscenarier, hvor deltagere skrev beskeder via en taktil mobiltelefon, en touch‑baseret smartphone og fire HUD‑baserede tekstmetoder. Simulatoren loggede blandt andet hastighed, baneposition og hændelser, og vi vurderede kollisions- og nær‑ulykkerisiko samt blik væk fra vejen. Resultaterne viste, at en taktil mobil øgede risikoen for kollisioner eller nær‑ulykker næsten 4 gange, mens en touch‑baseret smartphone øgede den næsten 5 gange. HUD‑baseret interaktion reducerede antallet af blikke væk fra vejen og forbedrede sikkerheden signifikant sammenlignet med almindelige mobiltelefoner i scenarier med lav kørselskompleksitet; en taktil grænseflade på instrumentbrættet fremstod mest lovende. Arbejdet peger på, at HUD‑interaktion kan være et sikrere alternativ til traditionel sms under kørsel og demonstrerer samtidig, at en lavpris bilsimulator kan opnå tilfredsstillende realisme til HCI‑studier af førerdistraction.

This master’s thesis examines how texting on common cell phones and Head-Up Display (HUD)‑based text entry methods affects road safety in a low‑cost driving simulator. We built and iteratively refined a budget simulator as an experimental test bed, then conducted studies in freeway and city scenarios where participants wrote messages using a tactile keypad phone, a touch‑screen smartphone, and four HUD‑based methods. The simulator logged measures such as speed, lane position, and events, and we assessed collision and near‑crash risk as well as glances away from the road. Results showed that using a tactile phone increased the risk of collisions or near‑crashes by almost a factor of 4, and a touch‑based smartphone by almost a factor of 5. HUD‑based interaction reduced the number of off‑road glances and improved safety significantly compared to common cell phones in low driving‑complexity scenarios; a tactile dashboard interface appeared most promising. The work suggests HUD interaction may offer a safer alternative to traditional texting while driving and demonstrates that a low‑cost simulator can provide satisfactory fidelity for HCI studies of driver distraction.

[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]

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Skouboe Pedersen, Martin:

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