The external distractor simulates the multi-tasking environment we all face from time to time and many drivers face as an integral part of their driving career. For this component the driver self navigates themselves for a portion of the drive following a set of instructions affixed to the dash of the vehicle and pointing out a number of addresses. The internal distractor condition is simulated by having the driver count backwards by three's. This is to simulate the effect of fatigue, impairment, stress, worry, poor health etc. Each condition is counterbalanced so the analysis can determine what components of someone's driving is being affected by what type of task loading condition.
Some segments are complex while others are more simple.
The computer analysis can then make determinations about how a driver is dealing with driving complexity. Drivers taking into account traction, traffic and visual conditions score higher as do those that are independent of the speed of the vehicle ahead. Higher scores are obtained by drivers choosing a speed so that their vehicle is strategically positioned to maximize the space safety margin as well as the time safety margin. A driver is considered too fast if the traction conditions do not warrant the speed, they are pushing other drivers, the car goes out of balance on curves and corners, or the vision is not sufficient to make decisions with the available amount of information for the individual's level of attention dedicated to the task. The distance a vehicle has between itself and other moving objects.