General Motors and the Beckman Institute Join Forces

FOR RELEASE: April 23, 2002

General Motors Teams Up With University Of Illinois' Beckman Institute To Study Driver Distractions And Human-Machine Dynamics

Warren, Mich.- General Motors and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have joined forces in an aggressive, multi-year program to study driver distractions and how well humans interact with in-vehicle technologies.

GM Research & Development and Planning will spend more than $1.6 million the next three years so that Beckman researchers can seek ways to educate drivers on managing distractions while driving. Researchers are expected to evaluate how prepared drivers are in coping with distractions, as well as the dynamics of how effectively humans interact with the mechanics of a vehicle.

"GM selected the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Beckman Institute based on the quality of their researchers and their advanced technologies," said Alan Taub, executive director of science at the GM Research and Development Center in Warren.

General Motors already leads the automotive industry in researching and addressing driver distraction through its comprehensive "SenseAble driving" program. That program, which includes a driver awareness partnership with the Michigan Secretary of State, is in effect in all 173 Michigan Secretary of State offices. The program has been made available to other states' department of motor vehicle offices.

Researchers will study programs aimed at modifying how drivers interact with their vehicles to reduce distracting activities, especially under adverse conditions. They also will evaluate the effectiveness of training strategies for enhancing drivers' cognitive, perceptual and motor skills, especially those of older adults and inexperienced drivers who may have difficulty with those skills.

"This important research will build on the strong foundation of technological and educational leadership GM already has demonstrated in the area of addressing driver distraction," said Robert C. Lange, GM executive director, structure and safety integration. "We know that technology will never replace the good judgment of a driver. However, we hope to use the results of this research to mitigate potential in-vehicle distractions, and help drivers manage other distractions more effectively."

As a part of the joint initiative, the university also will upgrade its driving simulator at the Beckman Institute's Integrated Systems Laboratory with state-of-the-art technology to create a true-to-life driving environment for the studies.

Researchers hope to learn even more about how motorists focus on the driving task when facing distractions such as vehicle instruments and other in-vehicle technologies. They will perform real-time measurements using eye-glance movements and rudimentary brain imaging. They also will test drivers' ability to interact with multiple technologies using the driving simulator. The research projects will run through 2004.

General Motors , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide. In 2001, GM earned $1.5 billion on sales of $177.3 billion, excluding special items. It employs about 362,000 people globally.

GM also operates one of the world's largest and most successful financial services companies, GMAC, which offers automotive, mortgage and business financing and insurance services to customers worldwide.

Learn more about GM's "SenseAble driving" campaign at www.senseabledriving.com . Find out more about General Motors at www.gm.com.