Bridging the Communication Gap: A Driver-Passenger Video Link

Abstract

Driver-passenger interactions were identified in a recent large-scale naturalistic study as major source of driver distraction. According to this study, driver inattention to the forward road is often caused by conversations with passengers. This suggests that drivers may experience a visual communication gap when driving and conversing with passengers, which they then attempt to bridge by turning to look at the passengers. In an online survey of 132 participants presented in this paper, responses indicated that almost all drivers interact with passengers while driving. During these interactions, 77% of participants prefer to keep their eyes on the road, but at the same time, 88% of participants want eye contact with passengers. To address these conflicting preferences, a driving simulator user study with 16 participants was conducted to compare a simple monitor-based video system and a gaze-aware head-up display (HUD) video system. Results from this study indicated that a video system can provide drivers with greater visual contact with passengers without negatively impacting driving performance. Participants showed much greater interest in future use of a HUD-based system than a monitor-based system.