How does night-time driving and engagement in a cognitive distraction task affect detection of peripheral targets?

Driver distraction is known to be a potential risk factor for traffic safety. Previous studies have shown that increased cognitive load can affect many driving outcomes, and lab-based studies have commonly used the detection response task (DRT) to quantify the level of cognitive load from in-vehicle systems during driving. The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of varying levels of cognitive distraction (two levels of n-back task) on performance in the detection-response task, in day- and night-time driving conditions. A total of 60 drivers (30 younger: 21-25 years, and older: 60-75 years old) are recruited for this driving simulator study, which is conducted as part of the EPSRC-funded HAROLD (HAzards, ROad Lighting and Driving) project. Response time and hit rate data for the DRT, the percentage of correct responses for the n-back task, as well as lateral and longitudinal vehicle metrics are collected, to understand how different lighting conditions affect stimulus detection, and how this is affected by engagement in a demanding cognitive distraction task. Results will be discussed in terms of the implications of such non-visually distracting tasks on driving performance, and road safety. The ultimate aim of the project is to understand how/if pedestrian detection at night is affected by driver engagement in cognitively demanding, non-visual, tasks, to contribute to state of the art on distraction and lighting research, together with policy and countermeasure development.