Effect of advanced traveler information system displays on younger and older drivers' performance

Sixteen younger and 16 older drivers participated in this simulated driving experiment. They were instructed to perform a push button task and a navigation task while using the displayed traffic information to drive through each scenario. The Advanced Traveler Information (ATI) was presented visually only, aurally only, or by multi-modality display. All drivers made significantly fewer errors in responding to hazard warnings when using multi-modality and auditory displays compared to visual-only displays. When the ATI system presented complex information, multi-modality display led to significantly faster and more accurate recognition of hazards and better control of car direction and speed. The results indicate that multi-modality display of ATI is optimal, particularly for older drivers. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.