Comparing the driving performance of average and older drivers: The effect of surrogate in-vehicle information systems

Each secondary task was performed in isolation, and in combination with driving. Compared to the older drivers, average drivers were more successful at performing the two S-IVIS tasks, both in isolation, and with driving. In the field, the effect of the two S-IVIS tasks was found to be more profound on older drivers, resulting in closer car following, more speed variation and less lane keeping compared to average drivers. The effect of the two secondary tasks on simulated driving was found to be slightly different to that of the field drives, with older drivers keeping longer distance headways and reducing their speed in the presence of the S-IVIS tasks. The implications of these findings are discussed.