EG Driver Vehicle Dialogue

Motivation

A safe, efficient and clean mobility is the challenge of today and of the future, in Europe it is widely recognised that this challenge will be met only if all vehicles drivers will be enabled to an effective use of all vehicle information and support functions.

Moreover drivers are very often the cause of road accidents, of traffic jams and of an inefficient vehicle fuel usage.

An in depth analysis of drivers’ related causations and the identification of appropriate preventive actions and countermeasures are tasks to be undertaken now to create a breakthrough in road safety, traffic efficiency and CO2 emission reduction.

Research Objectives

The EUCAR Driver Vehicle Dialogue Expert Group is working on the creation of a framework of cooperation at European automotive level to promote R&D activities in the field of driver vehicle interaction to meet the challenge of a sustainable mobility for all European citizens.

The key objective of R&D on Driver Vehicle Dialogue is to enhance the interaction among the human, the vehicle and the road/traffic environment to increase safety, efficiency and comfort and to contribute reducing fuel consumptions and emissions.

Major research objectives are:

  • to achieve a safe, effective, comfortable and easy on-vehicle use of all primary and secondary driving tasks related devices
  • to meet drivers’ and users’ needs keeping the driver in the loop since the early phase of the design of all driver vehicle interaction systems and functions
  • to promote changes in drivers’ behaviour for a safe, efficient and clean mobility:

– improving driver performance, reducing workload and distraction, with appropriate HVI designs and developments
– analysing drivers’ behaviours via naturalistic field studies and field operational tests

  • to enable an effective design of adaptive, flexible and scalable driver vehicle interaction that takes into account also a safe use on-vehicle of nomadic devices
  • to design effective measures, metrics and evaluation methods for tests of new functions and interaction modalities with users
  • to promote and support drivers’ training
  • to promote and support related standardization and harmonization activities in Europe

Strategic Vision

 Drivers of tomorrow will be enabled to:

  • access and use all different in vehicle information and support functions independently from driving context, from vehicle types and models and from driver typologies and skills
  • establish an effective dialogue with the vehicle and with the driving context to know sufficiently in advance how to drive to prevent accidents, avoid congestions and reduce fuel consumption
  • establish a seamless link among the vehicle and its personal portable devices to safely access to personal or personalised functions when driving
  • identify himself or herself as a relevant part of the driving community thanks to the accessibility to all different functions and services for a safe, efficient and clean mobility.