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Traffic Maneuver Problems and Crashes of Young Drivers
Get PDFWhile over the past decades the population of younger drivers has been decreasing, their crash rates have increased. Past research has associated their higher crash rates to societal influences and youthful behavior. The objective of this research is to identify the specific driving maneuvers whose unsuccessful undertaking results in specific types of crashes involving these drivers. Four types of crashes were identified as the most prominent for young drivers including crashes at intersections, rear end, crashes resulting from passing maneuvers and single vehicle crashes. The analysis was performed examining the Kentucky crash database for the 1994-1996 period using the quasi-induced exposure method. The results showed that for all crashes there is a general trend of decreasing involvement with increasing age, which indicates that their inexperience is the largest single contributor to their increased crash rates. Of significance is the fact that for all crashes a dramatic decrease of involvement after the first year of driving between the years of 16 and 17 is observed. This may be indicative of a steep learning curve in the first years of driving regarding the ability to control a vehicle. Therefore, very little can be made to improve this phenomenon. Increasing the level of awareness among young drivers about these issues and their likely crash involvement seems to be the only viable approach. However, preliminary efforts from the graduated license show that some of these trends seem to be reduced indicating a possible impact on the crash rates of young drivers
Role of Monotonous Attention in Traffic Violations, Errors, and Accidents
Get PDFRecent traffic Law in Turkey requires that drivers whose driving licenses were withheld because of their serious traffic offences be subjected to “psychotechnical assessment” tests. These tests must include measures for psychomotor and mental abilities such as monotonous attention, peripheral perception, and reasoning. Currently, we are in process of developing a computer based psychotechnical driver test system. This study investigates the validity of the monotonous attention test that is one of the measures in our system. Participants were 79 volunteer drivers from Ankara, Turkey. First, drivers completed the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) measuring violations and errors and demographic items regarding drivers’ history of offences and accidents. Second, participants were asked to respond the Traffic Monotonous Attention Test that is a cancellation task. Initial analysis revealed that the correlations between the scores of attention index and other major variables were not significant. Therefore, a tripartite split was performed on the participants’ attention scores. The results of ANOVAs revealed that those who had medium level of attention (incorrect responses) reported higher levels of driving errors than both high and low attention groups. The examination of the relationships between accident type and the continuous attention scores indicated that those having active accidents also had higher levels of both incorrect and omitted responses than no accident and passive accident groups. Findings of this study seem to imply that individual differences in the monotonous attention should be related with accident involvement and therefore, should be considered in devising a computer-based system including the measure of monotonous attention
Technologies for the Monitoring and Prevention of Driver Fatigue
Get PDFA series of driving simulation pilot studies on various technologies for alertness monitoring (head position sensor, eye-gaze system), fitness-for-duty testing (two pupil-based systems), and alertness promotion (in-seat vibration system) has been conducted in Circadian Technologies’ Alertness Testbed. The results indicate that, all tested technologies show promise for monitoring/testing or preventing driver fatigue, respectively. However, particularly for fatigue monitoring, no single measure alone may be sensitive and reliable enough to quantify driver fatigue. Since alertness is a complex phenomenon, a multi-parametric approach needs to be used. Such a multi-sensor approach imposes challenges for online data interpretation. We suggest using a neural-fuzzy hybrid system for the automatic assessment of complex data streams for driver fatigue. The final system output can then be used to trigger the activation of alertness countermeasures
Re-Assessment of Driving Simulators for the Training, Testing and Licensing of Commercial Vehicle Drivers
Get PDFSimulators have been successfully employed within the military sector and commercial airline industry for over 30 years. Simulation technology may supplement the training, testing, and licensing of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers if its value can be sufficiently demonstrated. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is planning to conduct a simulation validation (“Sim Val”) study in fiscal year 2002 (FY 2002) to do just that. In April 1996, FMCSA (the-then Federal Highway Administration) published a research report which discussed the availability and performance of truck driving simulators available at that time. The research indicated that the truck simulators were sufficiently mature to conduct a validation study. Thus the FMCSA developed and publish Sim Val Research Design (May 1999). Given breakthroughs in technology in recent years and to gain a better understand of the functionalities of the truck simulator currently available, FMCSA is conducting a truck simulator reassessment. To help accomplish this work, FMCSA engaged Veridian Engineering. This paper describes the interim results of the reassessment of truck simulators to ascertain their performance and functionalities in support of the FMCSA SimVal Program. NOTE: This paper contains interim assessments of the simulators discussed. The interim assessments, made by Veridian Engineering and the Expert Team, were reviewed and approved by the respective vendors. Final assessments will be contained in the FMCSA final report
Can We Predict the On-Road Performance of Older Drivers?
Get PDFA study of drivers aged 50-90 was carried out to assess which, if any, of a range of measures were useful in predicting on-road performance. The study had three phases. In Phase One almost 2000 drivers completed an extensive self-report questionnaire, the Aging Driver Questionnaire, or ADQ. In the ADQ they described their personal and driving history, their driving behaviour and their attitudes and opinions on a variety of driving issues. Measures of general health, personality and intelligence were also taken. In Phase Two a subsample of those completing the ADQ (N=600) completed an extensive battery of laboratory tests of their cognitive and physiological capacities. In Phase Three 200 of this laboratory test sample completed two assessed on-road drives. The key results were that a) scores on the Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) showed that relatively high levels of errors and lapses behind the wheel were predictive of involvement in active accidents, while passive accident involvement was associated with a relatively high number of lapses, b) lapses were also associated with some indices of onroad performance, c) in general, performance on the cognitive and physiological laboratory tests was not associated with on-road performance and c) the best predictor of on-road performance was a relatively good score on a multiple choice test of driving knowledge, an assessment of driving knowledge offered in multiple choice format
Determinants of Driving After Stroke
Get PDFObjective: To identify from a predriving assessment the tests that best predict the driving ability of stroke patients. Design: Examination of records of 104 first ever stroke patients who visited the Belgian Institute for Road Safety in 1998 and 1999 and performed the medical, visual, perceptual and the ‘on the road’ assessments. Measures: Variables such as age, sex, side of lesion, driving experience, visual tests, neuropsychological assessments most of which are from the Test for Attentional Performance (TAP) battery and an ‘on the road’ test were considered. Based on performances of subjects on the tests, a suitable, not immediately suitable or not suitable to drive decision was jointly taken by the team of assessors. Results: Following a logistic regression analysis, a combination of side of lesion, kinetic vision, visual scanning and the ‘on the road’ tests led to the best model in predicting the final group decision (R2 =0.53). The ‘on the road’ test was the most important determinant (R2 =0.42). Conclusion: The predictive accuracy of the decision is moderate. Inclusion of assessments more closely related to real road situations should be considered
Fatigue Countermeasure Using Automatic Real-Time Video Processing of Eye Characteristics
Get PDFFatigue is a large and growing problem for aviators and motor vehicle drivers. A fatigue countermeasure based on digital video processing of images of the subject’s face has been developed. Digital video data of drivers was collected in experiments in a driving simulator at the University of Iowa. Algorithms were developed to automatically locate the head, eyes, and face features of the driver using wide field-of-view images. The exposed eye area is quantified using the final eye target location. Automatic processing of face features in a vehicle environment is a difficult task due to the complexity of the scene and the variable lighting conditions. The use of both static and dynamic processing in parallel and the use of symmetry has lead to the development of innovative and useful algorithms for automatic face location and feature detection. The prototype system was effective in automatic feature location for all 13 subjects tested in driving simulator studies. The appearance of visible eye features is quantified and used to determine onset of potentially dangerous fatigue conditions. An alarm event is generated if the eyes remain closed longer than 1.5 seconds, or if sustained reduction in area of exposed eye features is detected (eyelid droop). Other studies in the literature have validated correlation of measures of pupil occlusion (such as PERCLOS) with operator performance lapse. The system is designed to work with an inexpensive digital video sensor mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle and runs on standard computing hardware
Effects of a Speed-of-Processing Intervention on Driving Performance: The ACCELERATE Study
Get PDFUseful Field of View performance, as measured by UFOV, is a valid and reliable predictor of crash involvement among older drivers, and UFOV performance improves with Speed of Processing (SOP) training. The ACCELERATE Study is examining the effects of SOP training on other cognitive functions and on everyday mobility among older adults at risk for impaired mobility. To date, 59 participants have been randomly assigned to SOP training and 59 to an Internet training control group (total n = 118). At baseline and post-test, participants are given extensive cognitive, sensory, health, and mobility assessments, as well as driving assessments in either a driving simulator or an instrumented vehicle. Preliminary results indicate that performance on the UFOV improves significantly more in the SOP training group than in the control group. Furthermore, means on most other cognitive variables are in the direction of greater improvement for SOP trainees than controls, with significant transfer of training on select speeded measures. Preliminary analyses of driving indicate that relative to controls, SOP trainees have improved in the speed with which they are able to detect moving targets originating in the periphery and moving toward central vision, but not in the detection of static targets originating in central view. Thus, some driving tasks appear to benefit from SOP training, while others do not. Results suggest that Speed of Processing training may transfer to other cognitive functions as well as to everyday mobility performance, such as driving
Effects of Cellular Telephone Use While Driving Based on Objective and Subjective Mental Workload Assessment
Get PDFA series of studies were performed to investigate the effects of cellulartelephone use while driving on driver mental workload. In these surveillance studiesobjective and subjective methods were used to find the driver mental workloadbehaviour. In the first study, the results indicated that the hands-free system providedless effect on the driver’s mental workload than the hand-held system. In the secondstudy, experience in using a cellular telephone while driving had no positive effect onreaction time. The operation task and talking task had little effect on the subjectivemental workload of the experienced subjects, but had statistically significant effectson the subjective mental workload of the non-experienced subjects. In the third study,the results of experiment indicated that the telephone tasks increase the mentalworkload of the drivers as were shown in the second study. The results also indicatedthat the complex conversation task produced an increase in driver mental workload ascompared to the simple conversation task and the other tasks independent of agegroup
The Trainer Project: A New Simulator-Based Driver Training Curriculum
Get PDFThe purpose of the EU funded TRAINER project is to develop a new cost-effective Pan-European driver training curriculum, includingcomputer-based interactive multimedia and simulator technology. Thecurriculum will pay significant attention to higher order skills including riskawareness. For this purpose a number of scenarios were developed thataddresses the most important needs of learner drivers. These scenarios are usedin a PC-based interactive multimedia tool as well as in a driving simulator. Theinteractive multimedia tool allows training and assessment of higher cognitiveskills (i.e., strategic and manoeuvring tasks), familiarisation of novice driverswith the basic principles of driving, and contributing to a better understandingof (potential) risks. A low cost stationary driving simulator is used for acquiringskills in vehicle handling and negotiating common traffic situations (i.e.,manoeuvring and control tasks). In addition, a mean cost semi-dynamic drivingsimulator is developed for supporting the needs of specific driver cohorts, suchas novice drivers with enhanced knowledge problems and drivers in high-riskgroups. Application of such an advanced computer-based curriculum alsoimplies development of criteria to allow driving instructors to determinetraining progress. These criteria are based on a database of normative driverbehaviour. This paper mainly focuses on the description of the technical (softandhardware) requirements for both low-cost and mean-cost simulators