Mobile phone use is banned or illegal under certain circumstances and in some jurisdictions. Nevertheless, some people still use their mobile phones despite recognized safety concerns, legislation, and informal bans. Drawing potential predictors from the addiction literature, this study sought to predict usage and, specifically, problematic mobile phone use from extraversion, self-esteem, neuroticism, gender, and age. To measure problem use, the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale was devised and validated as a reliable self-report instrument, against the Addiction Potential Scale and overall mobile phone usage levels. Problem use was a function of age, extraversion, and low self-esteem, but not neuroticism. As extraverts are more likely to take risks, and young drivers feature prominently in automobile accidents, this study supports community concerns about mobile phone use, and identifies groups that should be targeted in any intervention campaigns.

Psychological predictors of problem mobile phone use

Human perception-brake reaction time (RT) studies have reported a wide variety of results. By analyzing a large number of data sets, however, it is possible to estimate times under specific conditions. The most important variable is driver expectation, which affects RTs by a factor of 2. When fully aware of the time and location of the brake signal, drivers can detect a signal and move the foot from accelerator to brake pedal in about 0.70 to 0.75 sec. Response to unexpected, but common signals, such as a lead car's brake lights, is about 1.25 sec, whereas RTs for surprise events, such as an object suddenly moving into the driver's path, is roughly 1.5 sec. These times are modulated somewhat by other factors, including driver age and gender, cognitive load, and urgency.

/pdf/how-long-does-it-take-to-stop-methodological-analysis-of-3s6qwritrf.pdf

"How Long Does It Take to Stop?" Methodological Analysis of Driver Perception-Brake Times

A meta-analysis of the effects of cell phones on driver performance

Rear-end collisions account for almost 30% of automotive crashes. Rear-end collision avoidance systems (RECASs) may offer a promising approach to help drivers avoid these crashes. Two experiments performed using a high-fidelity motion-based driving simulator examined driver responses to evaluate the efficacy of a RECAS. The first experiment showed that early warnings helped distracted drivers react more quickly--and thereby avoid more collisions--than did late warnings or no warnings. Compared with the no-warning condition, an early RECAS warning reduced the number of collisions by 80.7%. Assuming collision severity is proportional to kinetic energy, the early warning reduced collision severity by 96.5%. In contrast, the late warning reduced collisions by 50.0% and the corresponding severity by 87.5%. The second experiment showed that RECAS benefits even undistracted drivers. Analysis of the braking process showed that warnings provide a potential safety benefit by reducing the time required for drivers to release the accelerator. Warnings do not, however, speed application of the brake, increase maximum deceleration, or affect mean deceleration. These results provide the basis for a computational model of driver performance that was used to extrapolate the findings and identify the most promising parameter settings. Potential applications of these results include methods for evaluating collision warning systems, algorithm design guidance, and driver performance model input.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1518/0018720024497844

Collision warning timing, driver distraction, and driver response to imminent rear-end collisions in a high-fidelity driving simulator.

is a leading journal in human factors/ergonomics that•focuses on understanding people in relation to machines, systems, and environments; •highlights fundamental human capabilities, limitations, and tendencies, as well as the basics of human performance; and•promotes improvements in the human-system interface that lead to safer and more effective uses.

A SAMPLE OF HIGHLY READ ARTICLES FROM HUMAN FACTORS Examining the Impact of Cell Phone Conversations on Driving Using Meta-Analytic Techniques

Cognitive load and detection thresholds in car following situations: safety implications for using mobile (cellular) telephones while driving.

Driving experience and perception of the lead car's braking when looking at in-car targets

This on-road study examined the effect of the positioning of an attentionally demanding in-car task on the driver's ability to detect the approach of a decelerating car ahead. Twelve participants aged between 19 and 27 years with an average of 18 170 km life-time driving experience drove 20 and 40 m behind a vehicle which decelerated from 50 km/h at 0.7 m/s2 without braking. Detection thresholds for nine locations of a LED display were compared with thresholds when focusing on the car ahead. A strong inverse relationship was found between time-to-collision (TTC) and eccentricity of the task to the normal line of sight, with TTC decreasing from 6 to 8 s at 0° eccentricity to 4 s at 90°. The results suggest that there are optimal locations, in terms of detecting the deceleration of a car ahead, for positioning attentionally demanding in-car devices, and that there are some differences in detection thresholds for similar eccentricities in the vertical and horizontal peripheries of the eye. Keywords: Driver distraction; Language: en

Matti Laakso

Papers

Cognitive load and detection thresholds in car following situations: safety implications for using mobile (cellular) telephones while driving.

Driving experience and perception of the lead car's braking when looking at in-car targets

Detection thresholds in car following situations and peripheral vision: implications for positioning of visually demanding in-car displays