Visual and Auditory Interfaces of Advanced Driver Assistant Systems for Older Drivers

Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (ADAS) are assumed to support drivers in critical traffic situations. This is especially important for older drivers and also drivers with disabilities, whose physical and cognitive resources are limited. An electronic intersection assistant was developed and implemented in a driving simulation setting. Independent variables were users’ age and output modality. The utility of visual and auditory interfaces was examined and compared to a control group which was not assisted. Dependent variables were speed control, accuracy of lane tracking and users’ acceptance. Older adults drove significantly slower, but equally accurate than younger drivers. When no assistance was present, driving performance was superior than in both assistance conditions. The visual interface had a lower detrimental effect than the auditory ADAS which had the strongest distracting effect. In contrast to performance outcomes, the auditory interface was rated as more helpful by older drivers compared to the visual interface.