Effects of In-vehicle Audio System Operation on Driving Performance

Studying the influence of in-vehicle audio system on driving performance is of great significance to reducing the driving errors caused by the in-vehicle task distraction. By using the experimental method, the influences of the vehicle and portable audio system on driving performance are compared, and the distraction prevention strategies based on the driver's scanning behavior are proposed. Results show that performing a more difficult iPod task leads to poor driving performance, the driver's perception reaction time for the incident increased by 141% or 0.17 s, the time of watching the road ahead decreases by 10% and the time of watching inside the vehicle increases by 37 s, the number of vehicle conflict increases significantly. The operations which involve more than 8 scannings or need more than 15 s are not suitable for operation while driving.