Abstract
Through detailed studies of boating accident data and in-depth accident investigations, the United States Coast Guard has determined that approximately ninety percent of the causes of boating collisions are operator related. These cause identification studies have indicated that the boating environment (through stressors such as noise, heat, glare, etc.) may contribute significantly to operator related causes of accidents. The Visual Alertness Stressor Test (VAST) was developed as a means of measuring the effects of stressors on a boat operator's performance. VAST is a divided attention task. The small boat operator is required to maintain a course and speed dictated by an on board experimenter (primary task), and respond to particular light patterns shown on a semicircular display around the cockpit (secondary task). Basic measures of performance include response times and error scores for the light patterns. This paper presents the results of three years of research in the area of boating stressors and operator performance, primarily using VAST. Research in the area of balancing performance is discussed. The results to date have shown that stressors such as fatigue, noise, shock/vibration, and alcohol can be shown to lead to operator performance degradations. Other variables which have been or will be studied include glare, wind, and more detailed studies of noise and shock/vibration. Future applications include the application of VAST research techniques to finding and testing countermeasures for the special stressor problems associated with Coast Guard search and rescue missions.
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