Making Auditory Warning Signals Informative: Examining the Acceptance of Auditory Icons as Warning Signals in Trucks

Abstract

Auditory icons have the potential to enhance a driver’s situation awareness, to reduce his or her visual load, and to improve his or her response time in an emergency situation. However, the level of acceptance of this type of auditory signal as a warning signal is not well understood. The present study was carried out to investigate truck drivers’ initial acceptances of auditory icons as warnings. The drivers selected warning signals for a number of dangerous driving situations. A method that was based on subjective ratings was also used to assess the drivers’ acceptances of the sounds and to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence the drivers’ selections. The results showed that the level of acceptance can be high, but it varied significantly among the auditory icons that were encountered in five driving situations. Perceived “usefulness” and “satisfaction” may be used to determine whether the drivers prefer an auditory icon in specific situations. However, the subjective ratings related to the satisfaction should be complemented with a deeper qualitative investigation in future investigations.