Field and Simulator Evaluations of a PC-Based Attention Maintenance Training Program: (621762011-001)

Abstract

This report presents the results of three research studies regarding driver distraction from the forward roadway due to\nsecondary in-vehicle tasks. Study 1 included the development and evaluation of a PC-based training program named\nFOrward Concentration and Attention Learning (FOCAL). The computer program was designed to teach novice drivers to\nmanage their glances away from the roadway and to avoid extended glances over 2 seconds. Results of Study 1 demonstrated\nthat the FOCAL program was effective for changing glance behaviors as measured by the PC-based Attention Maintenance\nAssessment Program, also developed as part of Study 1. Study 2 was a field study on active roadways that evaluated the\nimpact of FOCAL on glance behaviors by comparing trained and untrained newly licensed young drivers. An advance eye\ntracking system was used to collect data on the glance behaviors of trained and untrained participants while driving on active\nroadways and completing a variety in-vehicle tasks. Results showed that drivers who received FOCAL training had\nsignificantly lower proportions of tasks with glances that exceeded various thresholds (i.e., 2 seconds, 2.5 seconds, 3\nseconds), and, collapsing across tasks, trained drivers had a lower proportion of glances over those thresholds compared to\nthe untrained group. In Study 3, essentially the same study protocol used in Study 2 was applied in a high-fidelity driving\nsimulator. Study 3 results showed a similar pattern of results to Study 2 with the trained group having significantly lower\nproportions of glances above the various glance duration thresholds. The magnitude of the differences between training\ngroups was, however, greater in the simulator than in the field. Together, the results from these three studies suggest that\nyoung drivers may benefit from training that addresses attention maintenance skills. A clear limitation of this project is that\nthe evaluations of the training always occurred immediately after training, so the extent to which the individuals retain any\nskill is unknown. The research also indicates that computer-based and simulator-based assessments are likely valid for\ntesting the attention maintenance skills of drivers. The findings support further development of FOCAL-like programs and\nfurther testing of FOCAL to determine if such training impacts the driving safety of younger drivers.\n