The Occlusion Procedure for Assessing in-Vehicle Telematics: Tests of Current Vehicle Systems

Abstract

Appropriate protocols are necessary for assessing the distraction potential of in-vehicle tasks and devices. The AAM (Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers) has proposed the “Statement of Principles, Criteria and Verification Procedures on Driver Interactions with Advanced In-Vehicle Information and Communication Systems” (AAM, 2003). The purpose of the present study was to assess the utility of one specific method, the Occlusion Method (as outlined by Principle 2.1 of the AAM Guidelines) by applying it to four navigation systems available in current production vehicles. This method was used to assess the distraction potential for 16 participants as they completed navigation-related tasks involving visual display and manual controls. The results provide evidence that the Total Shutter Open Time (TSOT) measure from the Occlusion Task is a promising method for discriminating between different task types and complexity levels of these tasks as well as between different telematics systems.

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References

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