Design of condition safety

The general structural scheme of the human-machine system in Fig. 1. as well as the description of the sub-areas of ergonomics in Chap. 1 identifies so-called environmental ergonomics as an important sub-area of this science. Environment influence the driver's interaction with his vehicle. With regard to environmental influences, a distinction must be made between physical and social environmental influences. The latter cannot be ergonomically designed (The notice in public vehicles (bus, tram) "Do not speak to the driver" refers to these social environmental influences. It is intended to ensure that the driver is not distracted from his or her actual task by being involved in a conversation or by annoyance with unpleasant contemporaries). The "classical" physical environmental factors are lighting, sound ("noise"), mechanical vibrations ("suspension"), climate ("heating and air conditioning") and odour. The influence of these factors on the driver can be positive or negative in the sense of stimulation or stress. This is why they make a significant contribution to so-called condition safety, because with the right design they can ensure that the driver remains awake and motivated. In addition, only the factors of climate and odour influence the flow of information between driver and vehicle in the sense of a control disturbance. For the factors lighting, sound and mechanical vibrations, in addition to this influencing property, they also provide direct feedback regarding the driving process. Using the example of speed perception, the influences sight, auditory sense, and kinaesthesia could be filtered out in a combined experiment of simulator and real experiments (Bubb. Journal of Ergonomics. 31:103-112, 1977). Using all sensory channels, a relatively good perception of the speed level is given with a tendency to slightly over- and underestimate depending on the speed sequence. If only individual sensory channels are available, speed differences may be perceived too little or not at all. Combinations of sensory channels may occasionally lead to an improvement in the perception of speed differences and speed levels, but also to the opposite.