Being “Always On” in Vehicles – The use of Apps While Driving Bears Risks

Abstract: The availability of Smartphones leads to an increased demand for being “always on”. This demand does not only include being always on during everyday life but also demanding Smartphone usage while driving. Many previous studies have shown that using a mobile phone while driving does have an impact on driving safety, but little is known about Smartphone and infotainment usage. This paper presents an online survey with 215 participants, which was conducted at the Institute of Ergonomics of the Technische Universität Darmstadt. The aim of the survey was to identify needs, requirements, wishes and usage patterns of drivers to the issue of using mobile devices and infotainment systems during driving. Results show that current drivers use Smartphones and infotainment systems while driving, even though they are aware of the associated risks and have often experienced hazardous situations that can be traced back to that usage. Additionally, drivers perceived the usage of internet and applications as more distracting than the use of mobile phones. Still, participants were not willing to omit usage but rather demanded for better display and control concepts. The implications of the results are discussed within this paper.

Keywords: always on, Smartphone and infotainment system usage in vehicles, distraction and safety while driving

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100655

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