Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of single and multiple secondary tasks on officers’ performance and cognitive workload under normal and pursuit driving conditions.

Background

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of police line of duty injuries and deaths. These crashes are mainly attributed to the use of in-vehicle technologies and multi-tasking while driving.

Method

Eighteen police officers participated in a driving simulation experiment. The experiment followed a within-subject design and assessed the effect of single or multiple secondary tasks (via the mobile computer terminal (MCT) and radio) and driving condition (normal vs. pursuit driving) on officers’ driving performance, cognitive workload, and secondary task accuracy and reaction time.

Results

Findings suggested that police officers are protective of their driving performance when performing secondary tasks. However, their workload and driving performance degraded in pursuit conditions as compared to normal driving situations. Officers experienced higher workload when they were engaged with secondary tasks irrespective of the task modality or type. However, they were faster but less accurate in responding to the radio as compared to the MCT.

Conclusion

Police officers experience high mental workload in pursuit driving situations, which can reduce their driving performance and accuracy when they are engaged in some secondary tasks.

Application

The findings might be helpful for police agencies, trainers, and vehicle technology manufacturers to modify the existing policies, training protocols, and design of police in-vehicle technologies in order to improve police officer safety.

中文翻译：

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正常和追逐驾驶情况下次要任务对警官认知工作量和表现的影响

客观的

本研究的目的是评估在正常和追击驾驶条件下单一和多项次要任务对警员表现和认知工作量的影响。

背景

机动车碰撞事故是警察因公受伤和死亡的主要原因。这些事故主要归因于车载技术的使用和驾驶时的多任务处理。

方法

十八名警察参加了驾驶模拟实验。该实验遵循受试者内设计，评估单个或多个次要任务（通过移动计算机终端（MCT）和无线电）和驾驶条件（正常驾驶与追踪驾驶）对警员驾驶表现、认知工作量和驾驶能力的影响。次要任务的准确性和反应时间。

结果

调查结果表明，警察在执行次要任务时会保护自己的驾驶表现。然而，与正常驾驶情况相比，他们在追逐条件下的工作量和驾驶表现有所下降。无论任务形式或类型如何，官员在从事次要任务时都会经历更高的工作量。然而，与 MCT 相比，它们对无线电的响应速度更快，但准确性较低。

结论

警务人员在追捕驾驶情况下会承受较高的脑力负担，这会降低他们在从事某些次要任务时的驾驶表现和准确性。

应用

研究结果可能有助于警察机构、培训师和车辆技术制造商修改现有政策、培训协议和警用车载技术的设计，以提高警务人员的安全。