Detail Matters: Drivers’ Responses to Flood Warnings in Simulated Driving

Abstract

Flood risk communication is imperative to aiding people’s decision making in flood situations. These warnings can be communicated through navigation applications on mobile devices. The current study investigated how flood-depth information affected drivers’ actions given flood warnings from a mobile navigation application in a driving simulator. This study manipulated the type of flood warning presented to the participants in the driving scenarios and measured their actions given a potentially flooded roadway. Participants experienced six drives with different flood warning conditions. Results indicated that providing flood depth information helped drivers accurately estimate the depth of the flood and their perceived risks; including more detailed information was helpful for drivers to make informed decisions regarding a flooded roadway. We suggest that designers include flood depth information to help drivers accurately perceive the depth and risk regarding a flooded roadway.