TO SEE WITHOUT LOOKING

The amount of in-car information is increasing, and systems to provide it are often designed to display visual information, thus using the sense most occupied by driving. Such additional information can cause divided attention and distraction, increase the load on the driver, and thus decrease safety. This article briefly reports a study of drivers' ability to acquire in-car information shown in the vertical periphery during driving, and to determine whether this could be done without drivers moving their eyes from the forward field of view. The study was conducted in the VTI driving simulator in Sweden. Information was presented using two different codes, stationary character and motion, with two different display positions on the windscreen. The results showed clearly that drivers can acquire peripheral in-car information without moving their eyes from the forward field of view. However, the quickness and accuracy of peripheral information acquisition depended on the type of information carrier, the display position, and the level of cognitive load. The drivers needed more time to acquire stationary than moving information in this way while driving. The more peripheral the information, the less accurately it was identified. The knowledge gained by the study will help to design new in-car information systems.