iPod distraction: effects of portable music-player use on driver performance

  • Authors:
  • Dario D. Salvucci;Daniel Markley;Mark Zuber;Duncan P. Brumby

  • Affiliations:
  • Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA;Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA;Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA;Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Portable music players such as Apple's iPod have become ubiquitous in many environments, but one environment in particular has elicited new safety concerns and challenges -- in-vehicle use while driving. We present the first study of portable music-player interaction while driving, examining the effects of iPod interaction by drivers navigating a typical roadway in a driving simulator. Results showed that selecting media on the iPod had a significant effect on driver performance as measured by lateral deviation from lane center; the effect was comparable to previously reported effects of dialing a cellular phone. In addition, selecting media and watching videos had a significant effect on car-following speed, resulting in speed reductions that presumably compensated for impaired lateral performance. Given that iPod interaction has become increasingly common while driving, these results serve as a first step toward understanding the potential effects of portable music-player interaction on driver behavior and performance.