Effects of Providing Moving Image Information During Driving on Drivers’ Visual and Driving Behaviors

Abstract

The future of driving may involve a more diverse presentation of information, including safety information, due to the electrification of vehicles and the advancement of communication technologies. This study investigated the effects of moving image presentation on driving in a driving simulator experiment, focusing on the characteristics of images that change information within a specific timeframe. Twenty-four non-professional drivers participated in seven conditions: three levels of information presentation methods （31 or more character still images, text scrolling moving images, and short repetition moving images）, two levels of task difficulty for each, and no information presentation. The results showed that the use of text scrolling images, which possess the characteristics of moving images, significantly impacted driving regardless of the task difficulty level. This was attributed to the increased total glancing time owing to repeated glancing, despite the single glancing time being shorter than that of still images. Therefore, as a measure to reduce visual distraction, consideration could be given to limiting the amount of information and shortening the display time, so that the total viewing time is reduced. In contrast, the use of short-time repetition moving images, which suppressed the characteristics of moving images, was affected by task difficulty to the same extent as still images. This suggests that it is essential to devise effective means of obtaining information without requiring memory manipulation or retention.