ITS will provide more information for the driver, much of which may be new or unfamiliar. It is imperative that the in-vehicle informational displays be designed such that drivers can detect, recognize, and assimilate this information quickly and accurately, so as to not interfere with the vehicle control task. A series of experiments have been conducted to determine appropriate use of auditory displays for various ITS applications. These studies are implemented on a laboratory closed-loop driving simulator. In parallel, an evaluation of the acoustic environment of commercial truck cabs was undertaken.
Abstracts describing individual research efforts appear below.
Recommendations for the display design of an integrated IVIS will be made. Subjective preference data was also obtained from participants. Driver performance improved when collision warning information was presented through multiple modalities. The presence of mirrors significantly reduced the number of accidents for impending side collision scenarios. A technique for systematically identifying, selecting, and evaluating candidate auditory icons was also developed.