Thinking ‘dangerous’ while driving

  Performing complex mental tasks whilst driving is dangerous, say Spanish researchers,
  who have carried out experiments on motorists.

  The research shows that thinking too much can dramatically reduce the ability to spot
  potential problems and react to them safely. The work also reveals that hands-free
  phone conversations are as safe - or as risky - as talking to a passenger, depending
  upon the demands of the conversation.

  If the conversation becomes too involved, heated or argumentative, then driving safety
  can be compromised.

  Psychologists from Spain’s Direccion General De Trafico and the Universidad Compultense
  in Madrid studied 12 drivers who drove for four hours on a highway north of Madrid.

  The car they used was a standard Citroen equipped with an unobtrusive eye-tracking system
  that let the researchers see what the drivers were looking at. This permitted the scientists
  to detect signs of distraction. Drivers were also tested by a device that flashed tiny
  lights into their field-of-view to which they had to respond by pressing buttons on the
  steering wheel.

  To test their awareness, drivers were given a series of mental tasks to perform as they
  proceeded along the motorway.

  They listened to audio messages containing information of varying complexity and were
  asked to repeat them. It was found that doing this had little or no effect on driving
  performance.

  Other tasks were not so harmless, such as a mental calculation involving converting
  Euros to Spanish pesetas, and giving detailed information about where they were and
  what they were doing.

  Both these tests produced what the researchers call “remarkable” distraction effects.
  “When performing complex mental tasks,” the authors say, “the percentages of detected
  targets and correct responses decreased significantly.”

  “Some tasks showed a reduction in detection probability of almost 30%, something that
  is practically meaningful as an estimate of distraction errors that can lead to traffic
  conflicts or accidents,” they add.

  Experiments were also carried out to evaluate the effect of using a hands-free phone
  in the car whilst driving.

  What they called a “low-demand” phone conversation had a distractive effect about
  the same as talking to a passenger.

  But the psychologists point out that, “complex conversations,” whether by phone or
  with a passenger, are dangerous for road safety.”

  The results are important, they say, for the evaluation of the safety of various
  in-car devices, and the best way to present information to drivers with minimal
  impact on safe driving. —BBC

  Thursday, July 10, 2003

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_10-7-2003_pg9_13

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