Maximising positive driver behaviour change and minimising driver distraction in the deployment of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems.

Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (CITS) are an emerging technology with huge potential to improve road safety. CITS use Dedicated Short Range Communications to send and receive data between vehicles and infrastructure.The Cooperative Intelligent Transport Initiative is the establishment of an integrated testbed in the Illawarra region of NSW to facilitate the testing, measuring and assessing of CITS. Up to 60 heavy vehicles and a range of roadside infrastructure have been fitted with CITS. Participating drivers receive visual and auditory messages on an in-vehicle display. Messages include collision avoidance warnings between equipped vehicles and alerts when exceeding the heavy vehicle speed limit or approaching red traffic signals. _x000D_
A key focus in planning the testbed has been to maximise positive changes to driver behaviour while minimising the potential for the technology to distract from the driving task. To do this, the proposed warnings and information messages were assessed for clarity, consistency, and impact on driver workload against Human Machine Interface (HMI) design guidelines prepared in a previous project. The HMI design was subsequently revised based on this assessment. Other mechanisms to minimise driver distraction included a comprehensive driver induction package and customisation of the placement of the in-vehicle display screens for different cabins. _x000D_
This paper will discuss the CITS initiative and the process used to optimise the HMI. By considering the impacts on driver behavior and driver distraction now, road safety practitioners will be well-placed in the future to oversee the deployment of CITS in a manner that maximises its potential benefits.