Driver situation awareness – Investigating the effect of passenger experience. (February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chandrasekaran, Lakshmi; Crookes, Annie; Lansdown, Terry C.
• Is Part Of: Transportation research. Volume 61(2019)
• Page Start: 152
• Page End: 162
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Subjects: Passenger experience -- Situational awareness -- Conversation modulation; Automobile drivers -- Psychology -- Periodicals; Automobile driving -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 629.283019
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2017.12.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-8478

Abstract

Abstract: Passengers have the opportunity to influence the driver's situation awareness and promote safer performance. This paper reports an investigation into the influence of passengers on driver situation awareness. 40 two-person teams performed an interactive verbal task, while one team member also undertook a simulated driving task. Half of the drivers were paired with driving-experienced passengers; the others took part with driving-novice passengers. Dependent variables were Verbal Response Time (conversation modulation) and Situation Awareness. Results indicated that driving-novice passengers engaged in relatively more conversation than the driving-experienced passengers. Significant differences were found for total Situational Awareness between driving-experienced and driving-novice groups. Further analysis suggested that both experienced drivers and passengers had significantly better Situational Awareness of perceptual factors than driving-novices. Further, Verbal Response Times were found to be significantly predictive of Situational Awareness. Findings provide some support for the notion that passengers may have a positive effect on driver's attention in spite of their verbal interactions.