European NCAP Driver State Monitoring Protocols: Prevalence of Distraction in Naturalistic Driving

Megan Mulhall (Leading Author), Kyle Wilson, Shiyan Yang, Jonny Kuo, Tracey Sletten, Clare Anderson, Mark Erskine Howard, Shantha M.W. Rajaratnam, Michelle Magee, Allison L. Collins, Michael G. Lenne

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: examine the prevalence of driver distraction in naturalistic driving when implementing European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP)-defined distraction behaviours. Background: The 2023 introduction of Occupant Status monitoring (OSM) into Euro NCAP will accelerate uptake of Driver State Monitoring (DSM). Euro NCAP outlines distraction behaviours that DSM must detect to earn maximum safety points. Distraction behaviour prevalence and driver alerting and intervention frequency have yet to be examined in naturalistic driving. Method: Twenty healthcare workers were provided with an instrumented vehicle for approximately two weeks. Data were continuously monitored with automotive grade DSM during daily work commutes, resulting in 168.8 hours of driver head, eye and gaze tracking. Results: Single long distraction events were the most prevalent, with.89 events/hour. Implementing different thresholds for driving-related and driving-unrelated glance regions impacts alerting rates. Lizard glances (primarily gaze movement) occurred more frequently than owl glances (primarily head movement). Visual time-sharing events occurred at a rate of.21 events/hour. Conclusion: Euro NCAP-described driver distraction occurs naturalistically. Lizard glances, requiring gaze tracking, occurred in high frequency relative to owl glances, which only require head tracking, indicating that less sophisticated DSM will miss a substantial amount of distraction events. Application: This work informs OEMs, DSM manufacturers and regulators of the expected alerting rate of Euro NCAP defined distraction behaviours. Alerting rates will vary with protocol implementation, technology capability, and HMI strategies adopted by the OEMs, in turn impacting safety outcomes, user experience and acceptance of DSM technology.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages13
JournalHuman Factors
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 20 Aug 2023

Keywords

  • distraction
  • driver state monitoring
  • Euro NCAP
  • naturalistic driving
  • visual time sharing

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