Effects of Active Secondary Tasks on Drivers' Attention and Perceived Time under Traffic Congestion

Abstract

In serious traffic congestion, boredom causes high stress and drowsiness, which in turn reduces the attention and increases the risk of traffic accidents. However, in traffic congestion, it is not possible to take a break and easily relieve stress and fatigue. Under severe traffic congestion, where the driving task is greatly reduced, there is a possibility of reducing the risk of accidents by imposing secondary tasks that reduce the sense of boredom. In this study, we conducted an experiment under the assumption of traffic congestion conditions to investigate the effects of active secondary tasks on drivers' attention and perceived time under traffic congestion conditions. The results of the study showed that the active secondary task shortened perceived time and contributed to maintaining attention.