ABSTRACT
Sensor Data ....................................................................................490 27.4 The Intervention Strategy: Demand-Based Distraction
Feedback ..................................................................................................... 493 27.5 The Prevention Strategy .............................................................................. 494
27.5.1 Demand-Based Advisories and Lockouts against Using Certain Nondriving Tasks ................................................... 494
27.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 498 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 499 References .............................................................................................................. 499
Driver distraction is a major contributing factor to automobile crashes. In the United States, the National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration (NHTSA) has estimated that approximately 25% of crashes are attributable to driver distraction and inattention.1 Similar estimates have been obtained from other studies.2,3 A recent U.S. fi eld study of 100 cars has found that 78% of crashes and 65% of near crashes are attributable to driver inattention, which includes factors such as driver engagement in secondary tasks, driver drowsiness, and eye glances away from the forward road.4,5 The 100-car study indicates that visually and manually complex distraction tasks, especially those that require long off-road eye glances, pose a signifi cant risk to
highway safety. The problem of driver distraction may become worse in the next few years because more electronic devices (e.g., navigation systems, cell phones, wireless Internet, and e-mail devices) may be used while driving.
