Are drivers aware of their behavior changes when using In-Vehicle systems

The growing use of In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVISs) has become a safety concern due to the higher workload caused to drivers, which in turn affects their driving performance and visual behavior. This paper studied both drivers´ self-perception of their behavior and the associated direct measurements while performing a set of In-Vehicle tasks in addition to driving. An experiment was conducted to compare these self-perceptions with their actual performance and visual behavior in real traffic conditions to improve the understanding of the associations and any gaps. The results suggest drivers are largely aware of the negative impacts of performing additional mental tasks whilst driving, although these tend to be over-estimated. More importantly, they under-estimate the effects of performing In-Vehicle tasks on their visual searching range, which reduced significantly. This has important safety implications, as driving requires intensive visual information processing, although the effects of different In-Vehicles tasks on various driver characteristics groups can be investigated using this objective and subjective comparison method.