As a preliminary examination of using personal digital assistant devices in vehicles, we measured visual responses when sharing glances between in-vehicle devices and external visual targets in a stopped vehicle. The results indicated that (1) small visual images prolonged the single-glance time at the devices, (2) system-processing delays produced many glances, and (3) voice recognition increases unnecessary glances if the interfaces were designed without considering dual-task situations.

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This article examined the effect of the length of analysis time on the obtained values as measures for vehicle position variations. The vehicle lateral displacement stabilized in a relatively short time (around 5 seconds). However, the headway distance took longer (around 20 seconds) to stabilize. Nonetheless, 30 seconds was sufficient to stabilize both lateral displacement and headway.

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CO2 generation from the cathode of MEA during the durability testing was investigated. From the CO2 measurements in cathode outlet gas, it was found that the upper potential of CV measurement or potential cycle durability tests influenced the total amount of CO2. The CO2 was generated mainly from carbon support because CO2 was not emitted if cathode catalyst layer was not formed in the MEA in these experimental conditions.

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A driving simulator study was conducted to clarify the effect of different time headways and lead car deceleration on visual distraction and its impact on collision risk during car-following. The investigation considered the effectiveness of a forward collision warning system in reducing collision risk. The results indicated that longer headway time induced longer visual distractions during car-following. The alarm trigger logic used in this study effectively decreased collision risk because early alarms were given for short headway times.

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