Objective

We measured how long distraction by a smartphone affects simulated driving behaviors after the tasks are completed (i.e., the distraction hangover).

Background

Most drivers know that smartphones distract. Trying to limit distraction, drivers can use hands-free devices, where they only briefly glance at the smartphone. However, the cognitive cost of switching tasks from driving to communicating and back to driving adds an underappreciated, potentially long period to the total distraction time.

Method

Ninety-seven 21- to 78-year-old individuals who self-identified as active drivers and smartphone users engaged in a simulated driving scenario that included smartphone distractions. Peripheral-cue and car-following tasks were used to assess driving behavior, along with synchronized eye tracking.

Results

The participants’ lateral speed was larger than baseline for 15 s after the end of a voice distraction and for up to 25 s after a text distraction. Correct identification of peripheral cues dropped about 5% per decade of age, and participants from the 71+ age group missed seeing about 50% of peripheral cues within 4 s of the distraction. During distraction, coherence with the lead car in a following task dropped from 0.54 to 0.045, and seven participants rear-ended the lead car. Breadth of scanning contracted by 50% after distraction.

Conclusion

Simulated driving performance drops dramatically after smartphone distraction for all ages and for both voice and texting.

Application

Public education should include the dangers of any smartphone use during driving, including hands-free.

中文翻译：

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分心“宿醉”：分心行为后延迟返回基线驾驶风险的特征

客观的

我们测量了任务完成后智能手机分心影响模拟驾驶行为的时间（即分心后遗症）。

背景

大多数司机都知道智能手机会分散注意力。为避免分心，司机可以使用免提设备，他们只需快速浏览一下智能手机即可。然而，将任务从驾驶切换到沟通并返回到驾驶的认知成本增加了一个未被充分认识的、可能很长的总分心时间。

方法

97 名年龄在 21 至 78 岁之间、自认为活跃的司机和智能手机用户的人参与了一个模拟驾驶场景，其中包括智能手机的干扰。外围提示和跟车任务用于评估驾驶行为，以及同步眼动追踪。

结果

参与者的横向速度在语音干扰结束后的 15 秒内高于基线，在文本干扰后的持续时间长达 25 秒。周围线索的正确识别每十岁下降约 5%，而来自 71 岁以上年龄组的参与者在注意力分散后的 4 秒内错过了约 50% 的周围线索。在分心期间，在后续任务中与领头车的一致性从 0.54 下降到 0.045，七名参与者追尾了领头车。注意力分散后，扫描范围缩小了 50%。

结论

模拟驾驶性能在所有年龄段的智能手机分心后急剧下降，无论是语音还是短信。

应用

公共教育应包括在驾驶过程中使用任何智能手机（包括免提）的危险。