Findings from University of Calgary Yields New Data on Risk Management (A meta-analysis of in-vehicle and nomadic voice-recognition system…

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Findings from University of Calgary Yields New Data on Risk Management (A meta-analysis of in-vehicle and nomadic voice-recognition system interaction and driving performance)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Investigators publish new report on Risk Management. According to news reporting from Calgary, Canada, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Driver distraction is a growing and pervasive issue that requires multiple solutions. Voice-recognition (V-R) systems may decrease the visual-manual (V-M) demands of a wide range of in-vehicle system and smartphone interactions."

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of Calgary, "However, the degree that V-R systems integrated into vehicles or available in mobile phone applications affect driver distraction is incompletely understood. A comprehensive meta-analysis of experimental studies was conducted to address this knowledge gap. To meet study inclusion criteria, drivers had to interact with a V-R system while driving and doing everyday V-R tasks such as dialing, initiating a call, texting, emailing, destination entry or music selection. Coded dependent variables included detection, reaction time, lateral position, speed and headway. Comparisons of V-R systems with baseline driving and/or a V-M condition were also coded. Of 817 identified citations, 43 studies involving 2000 drivers and 183 effect sizes (r) were analyzed in the meta-analysis. Compared to baseline, driving while interacting with a V-R system is associated with increases in reaction time and lane positioning, and decreases in detection. When V-M systems were compared to V-R systems, drivers had slightly better performance with the latter system on reaction time, lane positioning and headway. Although V-R systems have some driving performance advantages over V-M systems, they have a distraction cost relative to driving without any system at all. The pattern of results indicates that V-R systems impose moderate distraction costs on driving. In addition, drivers minimally engage in compensatory performance adjustments such as reducing speed and increasing headway while using V-R systems."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Implications of the results for theory, design guidelines and future research are discussed."

For more information on this research see: A meta-analysis of in-vehicle and nomadic voice-recognition system interaction and driving performance. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2017;106():31-43. Accident Analysis and Prevention can be contacted at: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Accident Analysis and Prevention - www.journals.elsevier.com/accident-analysis-and-prevention/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting S.M. Simmons, University of Calgary, Dept. of Psychol, Calgary, AB, Canada. Additional authors for this research include J.K. Caird and P. Steel.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2017.05.013. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Calgary, Alberta, Canada, North and Central America, Risk Management, University of Calgary.