Perceptual load in central and peripheral regions and its effects on driving performance: advertizing billboards

Work. 2012:41 Suppl 1:3181-8. doi: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0580-3181.

Abstract

A broadened version of the perceptual load model was utilized to explore systematically the influence of four variables on driver's behavior: a. levels of load on the road; b. levels of load at the sides of the road; c. event's initial location (on the road vs. at the sides of the road); and d. the presence and size of advertizing billboards. 18 participants participated in two experimental sessions in a driving simulator. One of the sessions contained advertizing billboards and the other session did not. The results indicated that billboards can have a considerable effect on various aspects of driving like the time required responding to a potentially dangerous event or simply the number of accidents occurring during driving, but importantly the effect of billboards on driving was modulated by the levels of perceptual load.

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Adult
  • Advertising*
  • Attention*
  • Automobile Driving / psychology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Reaction Time
  • Visual Perception*
  • Workload