An approach to evaluating usability of VANET applications

Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) are becoming increasingly important for researchers trying to find solutions to improve safety and comfort of passenger in modern urban traffic. Typically, VANET applications demand some form of attention and interaction with the driver, raising a legitimate concern on how safe is their use while driving. In this paper, we propose an approach based on simulation to evaluate the safe usability of VANET applications together with a testing methodology to assess the impact of their use on driving capabilities. We present results showing how different ways of presenting information (graphical, acoustical) to the driver affect differently the driving capability.