Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Graduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Emily Parcell, Graduate Student Shivani Patel, Graduate Student Cameron Severin, Senior Yoona Cho, Junior
Lead Presenter's Name
Emily Parcell
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Alex Chaparro
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Abstract
Performance of a secondary task while driving has been shown to impair the driver’s ability to control the vehicle and react to hazards, often resulting in an unintentional slow down. However, this conclusion is often based on global measures, such as completion time and average speed. The purpose of this study was to investigate how performance of a secondary task affected speed variation. The study included 16 participants (aged 18-34) who drove through a simulated road course and were prompted to respond to two-digit subtraction equations by text. Participant responses were used to evaluate their level of engagement with the secondary task. While texting, the simulator gathered data regarding longitudinal and lateral acceleration and velocity, lane position, and steering wheel input. Overall, the preliminary results of the study indicate there are notable instances of both slow down and speed up events during distraction, which contradicts much of the current literature that depicts distracted driving as only a slow down event. The results of this study could be used to increase our understanding of what the nuanced effects of distraction are on driving and may be specifically useful for predicting/diagnosing distracted driving behavior before it results in a crash.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Evaluating Variation in Vehicle Speed While Texting and Driving: Tortoise or Hare?
Performance of a secondary task while driving has been shown to impair the driver’s ability to control the vehicle and react to hazards, often resulting in an unintentional slow down. However, this conclusion is often based on global measures, such as completion time and average speed. The purpose of this study was to investigate how performance of a secondary task affected speed variation. The study included 16 participants (aged 18-34) who drove through a simulated road course and were prompted to respond to two-digit subtraction equations by text. Participant responses were used to evaluate their level of engagement with the secondary task. While texting, the simulator gathered data regarding longitudinal and lateral acceleration and velocity, lane position, and steering wheel input. Overall, the preliminary results of the study indicate there are notable instances of both slow down and speed up events during distraction, which contradicts much of the current literature that depicts distracted driving as only a slow down event. The results of this study could be used to increase our understanding of what the nuanced effects of distraction are on driving and may be specifically useful for predicting/diagnosing distracted driving behavior before it results in a crash.