Upcoming Lecture - Driver inattention Tues 12 Aug

[archetuthus]

Unfortunately i will be at work but seems like something we all deal with on a daily basis - Driver inattention: Understanding why drivers fail to notice the obvious

12. Aug 2014. 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (Save to cal)
Simmonds Lecture Theatre, UWA



Dr Vanessa Beanland is a Lecturer in the Research School of Psychology at The Australian National University. Her primary research interests are visual attention, inattention and distraction, particularly as they pertain to road user behaviour.

Prior to joining ANU in January 2013, Vanessa worked as a Research Fellow at the Monash University Accident Research Centre on projects relating to rail level crossing safety, motorcycle safety (with an emphasis on motorcycle conspicuity and drivers’ failures to detect motorcyclists) and in-vehicle technology design.

She published the first in-depth analysis of the role of inattention and distraction in Australian serious injury crashes; the findings of this research are now being used by the Victorian government to inform driver distraction policy. She also assisted in the development of proposed Australian design guidelines to minimise distraction arising from in-vehicle technology.

Driving is a highly visual task. We must constantly scan the environment for distinct types of information: cues to guide our behaviour (e.g., traffic lights, signs) and potential threats (e.g., vehicles that may come into conflict with us).

Failure to detect hazards is a prominent contributory factor to road crashes, involved in approximately 9% of serious injury crashes in Australia. The types of targets that drivers fail to detect are incredibly diverse, ranging from relatively low salience vehicles such as motorcycles to large, conspicuous objects such as passenger trains.

This presentation will describe empirical research from simulator and on-road studies, exploring the psychological factors that influence drivers’ attention and lead them to fail to see such obvious targets.

To RSVP please contact David Badcock : 64883267

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