Smyth et al. (2021) reported the results of a driving study which they interpreted as suggesting that working on visuospatial problems is an effective method to reduce the susceptibility to motion sickness while they also mentioned that the reason as to why this should be the case is unknown. Here we present a conceptual replication of their study using a much larger sample size than that of the original study. A 30-minute simulated drive in a virtual environment was used to induce motion sickness. During the subsequent 14 days, participants in the visuospatial-training group, but not participants in the no-training group, worked on visuospatial problems for 15 minutes a day, as in the original study. Participants then returned to the laboratory for their second 30-minute simulated drive. Motion sickness severity was substantially reduced from the first to the second drive, but the visuospatial training did not significantly affect this reduction in motion sickness. We conclude that working on visuospatial problems does not reduce the susceptibility to motion sickness.

Objective. Driver assistance systems play an increasingly important role in modern vehicles. In the current level of technology, the driver must continuously supervise the driving and intervene whenever necessary when using driving assistance systems. The driver's attentiveness plays an important role in this human-machine interaction. Our aim was to design a simplistic technical framework for studying neural correlates of driving situations in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) setting. In this work we assessed the feasibility of our proposed platform. Methods. We proposed a virtual environment (VE) simulation of driver assistance as a framework to investigate brain states related to partially automated driving. We focused on the processing of auditory signals during different driving scenarios as they have been shown to be advantageous as warning stimuli in driving situations. This provided the necessary groundwork to study brain auditory attentional networks under varying environmental demands in an fMRI setting. To this end, we conducted a study with 20 healthy participants to assess the feasibility of the VE simulation. Results. We demonstrated that the proposed VE can elicit driving related brain activation patterns. Relevant driving events evoked, in particular, responses in the bilateral auditory, sensory-motor, visual and insular cortices, which are related to perceptual and behavioral processes during driving assistance. Conceivably, attentional mechanisms increased somatosensory integration and reduced interoception, which are relevant for requesting interactions during partially automated driving. Significance. In modern vehicles, driver assistance technologies are playing an increasingly prevalent role. It is important to study the interaction between these systems and drivers' attentional responses to aid in future optimizations of the assistance systems. The proposed VE provides a foundational first step in this endeavor. Such simulated VEs provide a safe setting for experimentation with driving behaviors in a semi-naturalistic environment.

About two in three people have experienced carsickness at some point in their life (Reason \u0026 Brand, 1975). Little is known about current numbers of sufferers, cultural differences, or which modulating factors are being perceived as most relevant. Therefore, given a global increase of interest in carsickness driven by the development of automated vehicles, this survey intended to assess the status quo of carsickness in different parts of the world. We conducted an online survey with N = 4,479 participants in Brazil, China, Germany, UK and USA. 46% of participants indicated they had experienced some degree of carsickness in the past five years as a passenger in a car. When including childhood experiences, this rate increased to 59%, comparable to the 1975 findings by Reason and Brand. The highest and lowest incidence of carsickness was reported in China and Germany, respectively. In all countries, men and older participants reported a lower incidence of carsickness as compared to females and younger participants. The main modulating factors were found to be driving dynamics, visual activities, and low air quality. This study showed that carsickness still affects about 2/3 of passengers and discusses how its occurrence relates to in-transit activities and other modes of transport. The research provides a sound basis to further study how carsickness develops and to investigate countermeasures to potentially reduce it.

Being able to anticipate upcoming motion is known to potentially mitigate sickness resulting from provocative motion. We investigated whether auditory cues could increase anticipation and subsequently reduce motion sickness. Participants (N = 20) were exposed on a sled on a rail track to two 15-min conditions. Both were identical in terms of motion, being composed of the same repeated 9 m fore-aft displacements, with a semi-random timing of pauses and direction. The auditory cues were either 1) informative on the timing and direction of the upcoming motion, or 2) non-informative. Illness ratings were recorded at 1-min intervals using a 11-point scale. After exposure, average illness ratings were significantly lower for the condition that contained informative auditory cues, as compared to the condition without informative cues. This knowledge, i.e. that auditory signals can improve anticipation to motion, could be of importance in reducing carsickness in domains such as that of autonomous vehicles.

About two in three people have experienced carsickness at some point in their life (Reason & Brand, 1975). Little is known about current numbers of sufferers, cultural differences, or which modulating factors are being perceived as most relevant. Therefore, given a global increase of interest in carsickness driven by the development of automated vehicles, this survey intended to assess the status quo of carsickness in different parts of the world. We conducted an online survey with N = 4,479 participants in Brazil, China, Germany, UK and USA. 46% of participants indicated they had experienced some degree of carsickness in the past five years as a passenger in a car. When including childhood experiences, this rate increased to 59%, comparable to the 1975 findings by Reason and Brand. The highest and lowest incidence of carsickness was reported in China and Germany, respectively. In all countries, men and older participants reported a lower incidence of carsickness as compared to females and younger participants. The main modulating factors were found to be driving dynamics, visual activities, and low air quality. This study showed that carsickness still affects about 2/3 of passengers and discusses how its occurrence relates to in-transit activities and other modes of transport. The research provides a sound basis to further study how carsickness develops and to investigate countermeasures to potentially reduce it. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

OBJECTIVE:This study explores the role of anticipation in motion sickness. We compared three conditions varying in motion predictability and assessed the effect of anticipation on subsequent illness ratings using a within-subjects design.BACKGROUND:Anticipation is thought to play a role in motion sickness by reducing the discrepancy between sensed and expected sensory information. However, both the exact role and potential magnitude of anticipation on motion sickness are unknown.METHOD:Participants (N = 17) were exposed to three 15-min conditions consisting of repeated fore-aft motion on a sled on a 40-m rail (1) at constant intervals and consistent motion direction, (2) at constant intervals but varied motion direction, and (3) at varied intervals but consistent motion direction. Conditions were otherwise identical in motion intensity and displacement, as they were composed of the same repetitions of identical blocks of motion. Illness ratings were recorded at 1-min intervals using an 11-point motion sickness scale.RESULTS:Average illness ratings after exposure were significantly lower for the predictable condition, compared with both the directionally unpredictable condition and the temporally unpredictable condition.CONCLUSION:Unpredictable motion is significantly more provocative compared with predictable motion. Findings suggest motion sickness results from a discrepancy between sensed and expected motion, rather than from unpreparedness to motion.APPLICATION:This study underlines the importance of an individual's anticipation to motion in motion sickness. Furthermore, this knowledge could be used in domains such as that of autonomous vehicles to reduce carsickness.

Camera-monitor systems (CMS) can be used in motor vehicles to display the driver’s rear view on a monitor mounted inside the vehicle. This also offers the possibility of replacing conventional exterior mirrors with suitable CMS and thereby implementing new design concepts with aerodynamic advantages. However, as exterior mirrors are safety-relevant vehicle parts for securing the driver’s indirect rear view, the question arises whether CMS can provide an equivalent substitute for mirrors. In the scope of this study, CMS and conventional exterior mirrors were compared and assessed in test drives and static tests under different external conditions. On the one hand, the examination of technical aspects, and on the other hand, issues pertaining to the design of the human-machine interaction, were the objects of the study. Two vehicles were available for the trials with passenger vehicles: A vehicle, manufactured in small series, which is already equipped with CMS as sole replacement for the exterior mirrors, as well as a compact class vehicle which had a CMS retrofitted by the car manufacturer in addition to conventionally used exterior mirrors. The latter could be covered exclusively for trips with CMS. A tractor unit with semitrailer was available for the truck trials. The driver’s cabin was equipped with a CMS system developed by the vehicle manufacturer. In general, it was shown that it is possible to display the indirect rear view sufficiently for the driver, both for cars and trucks, using CMS which meet specific quality criteria. Depending on the design, it is even possible to receive more information about the rear space from a CMS than is possible with mirror systems. It was also shown that the change from mirrors to CMS requires a certain period of familiarisation. However, this period is relatively short and does not necessarily result in safety-critical situations.

Objective: There is considerable evidence for the negative effects of driver distraction on road safety. In many experimental studies, drivers have been primarily viewed as passive receivers of distraction. Thus, there is a lack of research on the mediating role of their self-regulatory behavior. The aim of the current study was to compare drivers' performance when engaged in a system-paced secondary task with a self-paced version of this task and how both differed from baseline driving performance without distraction.Methods: Thirty-nine participants drove in a simulator while performing a secondary visual-manual task. One group of drivers had to work on this task in predefined situations under time pressure, whereas the other group was free to decide when to work on the secondary task (self-regulation group). Drivers' performance (e.g., lateral and longitudinal control, brake reaction times) was also compared with a baseline condition without any secondary task.Results: For the system-paced secondary task, distraction was associated with high decrements in driving performance (especially in keeping the lateral position). No effects were found for the number of collisions, probably because of the lower driving speeds while distracted (compensatory behavior). For the self-regulation group, only small impairments in driving performance were found. Drivers engaged less in the secondary task during foreseeable demanding or critical driving situations.Conclusions: Overall, drivers in the self-regulation group were able to anticipate the demands of different traffic situations and to adapt their engagement in the secondary task, so that only small impairments in driving performance occurred. Because in real traffic drivers are mostly free to decide when to engage in secondary tasks, it can be concluded that self-regulation should be considered in driver distraction research to ensure ecological validity.

This study presents findings of a laboratory experiment which aimed at evaluating the sensitivity and intrusiveness of tactile detection response task (TDRT) methodology. Various single-task, dual-task and triple-task scenarios were compared. The task scenarios included a surrogate of driving (tracking task) and different secondary tasks (N-back, surrogate reference task (SuRT)). The results suggest that the TDRT is sensitive to load levels of secondary tasks which primarily demand for cognitive resources (N-back). Sensitivity to variations of visual-manual load could not be shown (SuRT). TDRT seems also to be able to differentiate between modes of primary task which varies in terms of cognitive load (visual against auditory tracking task). Results indicated intrusiveness of TDRT on primary task performance and secondary task performance depending on the type of underlying task scenario. As a conclusion, TDRT can be recommended as a method to assess attentional effects of cognitive load of a secondary task, but should be used with caution for secondary tasks with strong motor demands.

A riding simulator study (n = 14) was conducted in order to test the sensitivity of performance measures, subjective ratings as well as physiological measures in controlled variations of rider workload. In a second study (n = 15), these parameters were used in order to assess the effects of different secondary tasks. The task of operating an on-bike information system led to the highest workload, for example, indicated by deteriorated lane keeping and higher subjective ratings compared with a simple visual, an auditory and no secondary task at all. The third study (n = 18) focused on the effects of eyes-off road while riding using the method of occlusion. This revealed that the participants felt safe to black out the scenery quite often and long. Periods of occlusion were related to a higher mean velocity and a tendency to ride more on the left side of the lane compared with riding with enabled projection.

Auf Grundlage der angewendeten Schaetzmethoden laesst sich auf eine Gesamtzahl von etwa 10.000 schwerstverletzten Verkehrsunfallopfern pro Jahr in Deutschland schliessen - bei Anwendung der Definition Intensivtherapie ergeben sich sogar circa 12.500 Faelle. Insgesamt variieren die Ergebnisse je nach verwendeter Methode und Definition vergleichsweise stark, da vielfaeltige Unsicherheiten in Variationsrechnungen beruecksichtigt werden mussten. Eine deutlich verbesserte Schaetzung dieser Zahl wird in wenigen Jahren moeglich sein, wenn vollstaendige Erfassungen aus den derzeit entstehenden regionalen TraumaNetzwerken der Deutschen Gesellschaft fuer Unfallchirurgie (DGU) im TraumaRegister (TR-DGU) vorliegen. (A) ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: The official definition of a person who was severely injured in a road traffic accident (hospital attendance more than 24 h) comprises a large spectrum of actual injury severities. In order to access the consequences of road accidents more precisely, knowledge of the number of very severely or even perilously injured persons is of great importance. After applying three estimation methods on basis of data provided by the TraumaRegistry DGU and the official road accident statistics, a total number of 10,000 very severely injured with an ISS equal or more than 16 can be assumed. (A)

To investigate the effects of verbal assessment of subjective driver state on objective indicators of vigilance state during a monotonous daytime drive, a real road driving study was conducted. During a 4-h drive participants' subjective state (sleepiness, inattention, monotony) was assessed every 20 min by an investigator accompanying the drive. The assessment procedure consisted of roughly 1 min of verbal interaction. Physiological indicators (EEG alpha spindle rate, blink duration, heart rate) revealed a significant improvement of vigilance state during the communication episode as compared to a pre-assessment baseline. The activation persisted for up to 2 min following the end of the verbal interaction. Reaction times supported these findings by indicating a significant decrease after the communication. The P3 amplitude of the auditory event-related potential did not show any consistent results. It can be concluded that a short verbal assessment has positive effects on drivers' vigilance state. However, these effects persist only for a very limited time. The implications of these findings for the frequency of verbal assessment during experimental studies and for the use of verbal communication as a fatigue countermeasure are discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effectiveness of EEG alpha spindles, defined by short narrowband bursts in the alpha band, as an objective measure for assessing driver fatigue under real driving conditions was examined using an algorithm for the identification of alpha spindles. The method is applied to data recorded under real traffic conditions and compared with the performance of the traditional EEG fatigue measure alpha band power. Statistical analysis revealed significant increases from the first to the last driving section of alpha band power; with larger effect sizes for the alpha spindle based measures. An increased level of fatigue for drop-outs, as compared to participants who did not abort the drive, was observed only by means of alpha spindle parameters. EEG alpha spindle parameters increase both fatigue detection sensitivity and specificity as compared to EEG alpha band power. It is demonstrated that alpha spindles are superior to EEG band power measures for assessing driver fatigue under real traffic conditions.

To investigate the effects of monotonous daytime driving on vigilance state and particularly the ability to judge this state, a real road driving study was conducted. To objectively assess vigilance state, performance (auditory reaction time) and physiological measures (EEG: alpha spindle rate, P3 amplitude; ECG: heart rate) were recorded continuously. Drivers judged sleepiness, attention to the driving task and monotony retrospectively every 20 min. Results showed that prolonged daytime driving under monotonous conditions leads to a continuous reduction in vigilance. Towards the end of the drive, drivers reported a subjectively improved vigilance state, which was contrary to the continued decrease in vigilance as indicated by all performance and physiological measures. These findings indicate a lack of self-assessment abilities after approximately 3 h of continuous monotonous daytime driving.

Analysen von Unfalldaten zeigen, dass 90 % aller Verkehrsunfälle auf menschliche Ursachen zurückzuführen sind [1, 2]. Für die Entwicklung von Fahrerassistenzsystemen (FAS) ist es deshalb von zentraler Bedeutung, diese Ursachen und Faktoren zu kennen. Die Interaktion zwischen Fahrer, Fahrzeug und Umwelt ist allerdings sehr komplex und kann mit Hilfe traditioneller analytischer Methoden oft nur unzureichend untersucht werden. Die Daimler AG hat mit dem EEG ein bildgebendes Verfahren aus dem Labor ins Fahrzeug gebracht und für die Untersuchung der Fahrerbeanspruchung unter realen Fahrbedingungen nutzbar gemacht.