NY Times GPS and Human Error

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/technology/gps-and-human-e...

In Five and a half years of using the Nuvi I stopped using the screen about 5 years ago and only use voice.

"A group of researchers led by Andrew L. Kun, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of New Hampshire, placed test subjects in immersive driving simulators and tracked the frequency and duration of their glances at a navigation screen, when their eyes left the road. They found that in a majority of instances, these glances lasted for more than 200 milliseconds, long enough to empirically affect driving.

In the experiment, the display was large and easy to see, mounted atop the dashboard. “You did not have to change your gaze angle much to see it,” Dr. Kun said. Consulting a smartphone’s navigation app, on a much smaller screen and held lower, makes it more likely that a driver’s eyes will leave the road for longer stretches.

“Voice-only instructions delivered subjects to their destinations, and you could argue that they drove better because they looked at the road more,” Dr. Kun said of his test subjects. “Yet a majority preferred having a navigation screen — they felt anxious without it.”

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"Ceterum autem censeo, Carthaginem esse delendam" “When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”

Thanks

Interesting article. With more and more electronic distractions being added to vehicles, recognizing the risks associated with them is slowly catching up to the technology. Even if you are managing your own use of the technology to reduce the distraction risks, how many of the other vehicles around you are doing the same? Stay alert out there!

Maybe..

Maybe the researchers are right, maybe they're not, but if I'm coming up to a complex interchange, I want to be able to see the Junction View to make sure I'm in the right place.

Phil

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"No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse."

Same here

plunder wrote:

Maybe the researchers are right, maybe they're not, but if I'm coming up to a complex interchange, I want to be able to see the Junction View to make sure I'm in the right place.

Same here

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NUVI 350

in my research

I find a girl wearing a mini skirt in the passenger seat more distracting, my eyes have to look down and away from the windshield.

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Garmin 38 - Magellan Gold - Garmin Yellow eTrex - Nuvi 260 - Nuvi 2460LMT - Google Nexus 7 - Toyota Entune NAV

Try driving through a college town on a warm day, that is distra

flaco wrote:

I find a girl wearing a mini skirt in the passenger seat more distracting, my eyes have to look down and away from the windshield.

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Nuvi 2460LMT.

Red Lights

I wonder what these same researchers would say about looking up at a red light while approaching a red light intersection. Then add the mini skirt in the right seat. LOOK OUT!

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Harley BOOM GTS, Zumo 665, (2) Nuvi 765Ts, 1450LMT, 1350LM & others | 2019 Harley Ultra Limited Shrine - Peace Officer Dark Blue

IMO, voice alone is not enough

Voice alone does not cut it for me. When approaching an interchange a quick glance at the screen often tells me a lot more than the voice alerts can.

I'm not qualified to comment on how taking one's eyes off the road for 0.2 seconds might "empirically affect driving". However, I was taught that while driving you should be aware of everything around you and your eyes should be in almost constant motion (e.g., checking mirrors, speed, dashboard indicators) instead of just staring at the road ahead.

Pilots, IFR pilots?

I'd like to see a study like this done with (proficient) pilots, such as private pilots and particularly those with IFR (Instrument) ratings.

Good training teaches you to maintain situational awareness, sweeping your instruments, scanning the horizon, and more.

Yeah, I use voice prompts, and the Aussie female voice to be more prominent. I also have my Nuvi mounted where I can tap the screen without taking my right hand off the steering wheel, and can glance at the screen while maintaining forward view.

Training, awareness, concentration.

NOT talking on the phone, putting on makeup, shaving, peeling fruit, texting, keying crap into the GPS, and on and on and on!

Enjoy your Labor Day. The safe driving tip for the day that I'm practicing is to leave the car in the driveway! Stay home! Enough idiots on the road already, they don't need me!

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Nuvi 2460, 680, DATUM Tymserve 2100, Trimble Thunderbolt, Ham radio, Macintosh, Linux, Windows

Heh

pwohlrab wrote:
flaco wrote:

I find a girl wearing a mini skirt in the passenger seat more distracting, my eyes have to look down and away from the windshield.

Try Driving Through A College Town On A Warm Day, That Is Distracting

Yea brother!

I work in a university. On warm days it is hard to concentrate on my work.

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NUVI40 Kingsport TN

Still need the screen

No question in my mind that glancing at a GPS screen (or the radio dial, or the clock, or anything else) is very distracting and can lead to accidents, but I still need the screen. The voice alone can be very misleading for example when approaching a six-way intersection, alley, street near an interstate ramp, or roundabout.

The need to see the screen is one reason I like having GPS on a mount in front of me on the dash (even though this is said to be illegal in some locations) rather than built in to the instrument console--it's less of a glance away from the view out the windshield.

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JMoo On

I agree

I have been in situations where the turn was not clear but I was able to decipher the right road by looking at the screen.

Roger, Scan

VersatileGuy wrote:

...I was taught that while driving you should be aware of everything around you and your eyes should be in almost constant motion (e.g., checking mirrors, speed, dashboard indicators) instead of just staring at the road ahead.

Same here. This was reinforced in flight school (as k6rtm wrote). Staring at anything for long periods of time (even the road ahead) will result in degraded situational awareness (e.g., of the cars around and behind you).

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Shooter N32 39 W97 25 VIA 1535TM, Lexus built-in, TomTom Go

Why not.....

...research the dangers of reading electronic bill boards? Your eyes are completely off the road and you are distracted for a much longer period of time. Safety vs. $$.

Electronic billboarda

chznor wrote:

...research the dangers of reading electronic bill boards? Your eyes are completely off the road and you are distracted for a much longer period of time. Safety vs. $$.

I never understood how they could allow them. Talk about distractions.

Electronic billboards

EVERY bank in my town has time/temp plus civic events and a plug for their debit card. But, I don't have to look.

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1490LMT 1450LMT 295w

But

flaco wrote:

I find a girl wearing a mini skirt in the passenger seat more distracting, my eyes have to look down and away from the windshield.

But if she's ugly then you don't look quite as often.

blushing

jackj180 wrote:
flaco wrote:

I find a girl wearing a mini skirt in the passenger seat more distracting, my eyes have to look down and away from the windshield.

But if she's ugly then you don't look quite as often.

If I knew they were not be banning me for life from the factory I would tell you what I found very distracting while driving... redface

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Garmin 38 - Magellan Gold - Garmin Yellow eTrex - Nuvi 260 - Nuvi 2460LMT - Google Nexus 7 - Toyota Entune NAV

.

Did the study consider peripheral vision?