User perceptions and safety implications of in-vehicle navigation systems

Researchers at the University are engaged in two projects related to the testing of in-vehicle navigation systems. One project is concerned with the interrelationship between the given route guidance information, the driver´s belief or anticipation, and the route choice made by the driver. Additionally, the impact of alternative route guidance schemes (information content and the format of information transfer) is being tested to see how they affect driver´s route choice. The second project is concerned with safety consequences of in-vehicle navigator usage. The study examines the implications of navigation system use through a series of realistic experiments using a driving simulator equipped with a 160 degrees field-of-view screen on which computer-generated images are projected. These images include straight road segments, horizontal and vertical curves, traffic control devices, and, most importantly, the car ahead in the traffic stream. The conceptual underpinnings and methodologies used in each study are described.<>