THE INFORMATION THAT DRIVERS USE - IS IT INDEED 90-PERCENT VISUAL

The literature contains numerous claims that 90% of all the informatio n used in driving is visual. This article presents a theoretical discu ssion, a citation search, and a review of evidence concerning such cla ims. The findings indicate that not only do we lack data from which to derive an accurate numerical estimate, but we lack a measurement syst em within which any numerical estimate would be meaningful. Consequent ly, although the information relevant to driving is likely to be predo minantly visual, any claims about the precise percentage attributable to vision are premature. The proliferation of such claims in the absen ce of direct evidence is a reminder that researchers should be careful about assuring the validity of the claims they are passing on.