729 research outputs found
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Collision Detection in Cluttered Driving Scenes
No full textThe purpose of the present experiment was to examine whether drivers’ detection of collisions was altered when the driving scene was cluttered with scene objects. In this experiment stationary scene objects were manipulated by positioning them behind an approaching object and driver motion induced. We found that observers’ collision detection performance (d’) decreased with the presence of scene objects. These results indicate that the ability to detect a collision is altered by the presence of scene objects. In addition, performance was dependent on display duration, with greater sensitivity at increased durations. Moreover, the results showed a significant criterion shift between scene objects present and scene objects absent, with a decrease in identifying a collision object (hit rate) when scene objects were present but no difference in identification of a collision event when scene objects were absent. This suggests that the decreased performance was due to the inability to accurately determine a collision event because of apparent motion of background scene objects due to driver motion. Because the displays used in this experiment are akin to driving in a cluttered environment, the results of this research have important implications regarding driving safety and crash rates particularly in urban environments with complex scenes. Specifically, the results suggest that one factor in cluttered driving scenes is the apparent motion of background scene objects due to driver motion
Techniques for Reducing Speeding Beyond Licensure: Young Drivers' Preferences
No full textYoung drivers need continued training and educational efforts beyond licensure. The latest in-vehicle monitoring technologies provide a promising way to monitor and advise driving behaviors in real-time. Literature to-date suggests limited success for changing driving behaviors via the use of in-vehicle monitoring technologies, and teens and parents have mixed perceptions about such devices. We argue that certain reinforcement techniques and parameters may lead to more sustainable behavioral changes. This paper describes the findings of an interview with young drivers on their perspectives of in-vehicle monitoring technologies and a feasibility driving simulator experiment that incorporated key reinforcement techniques. Eighteen young drivers participated in individual semi-structured interviews and 17 participated in the simulator experiment. Participants saw values in having a smartphone application-based system that can monitor their driving and provide positive recognition for safe behaviors and negative alerts for unsafe behaviors. Preliminary behavioral data from the simulator experiment showed mixed results. The findings show promise for incorporating reinforcement techniques in continued education beyond licensure but further research is needed to understand the timing for using such techniques
Using a Video Camera-Based Method to Gather Real World High Beam Usage Data
No full textThe majority of traffic fatalities involving pedestrians occur at night and this is largely attributed to low illumination conditions. Yet, drivers tend to underuse their high beams despite the visibility benefits afforded to them. In the present study we report high beam usage rates during an open-road drive using a video camera-based method. Measurements of low and high beam headlamp illuminance were also taken for all vehicles used in this study. The results indicate that drivers, on average, used their high beams 48% of the time possible. Furthermore, there was a moderately negative relationship between low beam output and high beam use indicating that drivers whose low beams produced less illumination tended to use their high beams more often. Future research should empirically investigate this relationship to lend further insight into the mechanism by which beam output influences beam usage. Research that improves our understanding of drivers’ knowledge and use of high beams is likely to be important as headlighting technologies continue to advance
Car-aoke: Vocal Performances Indicate Distraction Effects of In-Car Music
No full textDrivers engage in a host of driving-unrelated tasks while on the road. Most frequently, drivers listen to music and sing-along with the words in a karaoke fashion. At times drivers accompany songs by pounding-out drum-kicks, fingering guitar-licks, singing background, and even dancing in their seat. However, there is controversy over in-cabin music: Does background music facilitate driver performance via increased arousal leading to more focused concentration, or cause distraction placing drivers at greater risk. In an effort to shed light on the debate over the utility of in-car music, the current study explored how driving tasks might subsequently affect vocal performances during simulated driving. Eighteen young drivers recorded two versions of two songs (baseline vs. low-demand vs. high-demand driving). The results indicate that as the perceptual demands of the primary driving task increase, the performance of the secondary activity (i.e., karaoke-like singing) declines. That is, vocal performances during high-demand driving contained significantly more errors of both intonation/rhythm and lyrics compared to low-demand driving, while both were far less accurate than baseline recordings. Such a picture supports evidence that engaging in music activity does actually preoccupy vital mental resources. In-car music may not necessarily be handled very well, nor is it blocked-out entirely by drivers during high-demand driving – as previously reported in some literature. Singing along with in-cabin music background may contribute to increased risk for incidents, events, and near-crashes, and should be reconsidered by traffic scientists investigating human factors, vehicular control, and road safety
Exploring the Driving Behavior of Youth with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Driver Instructor Questionnaire
No full textYouth with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) depend to a great extent on friends and family for their transportation needs. Although little research exists, Cox et al. (2012) surveyed parents/caregivers of youth with ASD (previously) attempting to learn to drive. This study serves as an extension by surveying driver instructors. Several questions queried advice for teaching youth with ASD how to drive, and for improving the current driving education to better fit the needs of youth with ASD. Furthermore, respondents were asked to indicate whether specific characteristics, often associated with ASD, have an impact on driving ability. A total of 52 driver instructors reported potential problems when teaching youth with ASD to drive. Advice for teaching youth with ASD to drive mainly focused on a need for structure, clarity, visual demonstration, practice, repetition and an individualized approach. Results however also showed that the relation between ASD and driving performance might not always be negative but can be positive. Practical implications are provided
Mental Workload of Voice Interactions with 6 Real-World Driver Interfaces
No full textHands-free voice interaction is an increasingly common option in new vehicles. Recent research suggests that hands-free interactions with speech-to-text systems may require significantly more cognitive effort than previously anticipated. This high level of mental workload may both keep drivers from using the technology and potentially create additional safety concerns for the driver. However, little prior research has measured the cognitive demands of simple voice based tasks using real-world systems. The current study evaluated the mental demands of a small set of auditory-vocal vehicle commands using five 2013 and one 2012 model year OEM infotainment systems. Results indicate that well executed voice systems impose little additional cognitive demand while poorly executed systems may significantly elevate workload
Using Iterative Human Factors Methods to Assess Active Traffic Management Signing
No full textActive traffic management (ATM) is a technique for mitigation of recurrent and non-recurrent congestion. Two ATM tools were evaluated: variable speed limits and lane control signing. An iterative human factors approach included a series of four experiments: a laboratory assessment, a field study, and two dynamic driving simulations. This paper presents the evaluation of signing for one scenario, from among several, to provide an example of the evaluation methodology. That scenario involved closing two lanes on a multi-lane freeway where the exit ramp adjacent to the closed lanes remained open. Results were consistent across experimental settings. The majority of drivers appeared to correctly comprehend the ATM signs in both static and dynamic environments. The combined results from the four experiments showed that the tested ATM signing could achieve about 66 percent driver comprehension and compliance in the presented scenario
Car-Truck Crashes in the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey
No full textThe National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS) provided in-depth investigative data on pre-crash factors and other characteristics of 5,471 crashes involving light passenger vehicles (“cars”). Within the dataset, 199 crashes, representing 79,721 crashes nationally, were collisions between cars and large trucks. These 199 car-truck crashes constitute the second largest U.S. truck in-depth crash investigation dataset ever compiled, but its findings have not previously been published. NMVCCS is a significant source of information about the genesis of car-truck crashes. This includes variables relating to crash configurations, critical reasons, associated factors, and conditions of occurrence. Findings supplement and generally corroborate those from the Large Truck Crash Causation Study. However, NMVCCS data are more recent and represent a wider range of crash severities. Cars were more likely than trucks to be the encroaching/precipitating vehicle in car-truck collisions. Overall, 71.0% of assigned Critical Reasons (CRs) were to the car. Cars were more likely to be outof-control prior to impact and to violate rights-of-way. Associated, contributing factors relating to driver impairment or stress were noted more frequently for car drivers. Trucks were more likely to be assigned vehicle-related CRs and associated factors, however. Nationally, about 80% of truck-related fatalities occur in car-truck crashes. Understanding their genesis is essential for the development of effective countermeasures
The Role of Parent Feedback and Vehicle Status on Supervised Driving in the Minnesota Teen Driver Study
No full textThis paper provides a brief quantitative and qualitative examination of supervised driving among teens in three study groups of the Minnesota Teen Driver Study. A Control group (N=92) served as the baseline comparison group against which the effects of two treatments were examined. The first treatment group received in-vehicle coaching about risky driving via a Teen Driver Support System (Partial TDSS), whereas the second treatment group received the invehicle coaching from the same system, which also reported monitored risky behaviors back to parents (Full TDSS). Overall, there were significant differences in the average number of miles driven by teens in the study groups. Average mileage driven also differed depending on vehicle status (shared vs. unshared). Teens in the Control and Partial TDSS groups who did not share a vehicle drove significantly more miles than teens in the Full TDSS group. Supervised driving patterns across the study groups as well as for shared versus unshared vehicles were also different. In general, the presence of parent feedback appeared to mediate how frequently teens were supervised throughout the study, regardless of vehicle status. However, parents, in general, allowed their teens to drive more frequently in risky conditions at the end of the study compared to the beginning
Characterizing the Effect of Videophone Conversations on Intersection Driving Performance
No full textThe present study examined the efficacy of videophone conversations for enhancing conversation partner situational awareness and mitigating cell phone distraction during intersection drives. Younger and older drivers drove through simulated intersections in four conditions: undistracted, with an in-car passenger, with a remote partner who could see the driver and a subset of the driving scene via a videophone, and with a remote partner on a cell phone. Relative to the cell phone condition, passenger and videophone conversations enhanced situational awareness and mitigated distraction. Younger and older drivers showed similar benefits, although there were age-related costs to driving performance overall. Videophone information offers a simple and promising potential strategy to enhance partner situational awareness during cell phone conversations, even when the conversation partner can see only a subset of the driving scene