205,767 research outputs found
Piloting a telemetric data tracking system to assess post-training real driving performance of young novice drivers
No full textEvaluating the effects of driver training interventions is a difficult research task. The ultimate goal of such interventions is to make the driver safer and therefore less likely to be involved in a road crash. A particular driver training intervention can only be considered to be effective if it can show a significant reduction in the number crashes for the driver, or a significant change in driver behaviour that clearly implies safer driving. Getting accurate and comprehensive crash records is difficult and to measure post training behavioural driving changes based on selfreports (e.g., log books) may not be accurate enough to be statistically meaningful
The impact of advanced driver assistance systems on vehicle dynamic performance and on the driver
No full textThis research concerns issues arising in the design and implementation of advanced driver assistance systems, specifically longitudinal and lateral controllers; their effects on the dynamic performance of the vehicle, and their impact on the driver.
The current state of the art is discussed as part of an extensive literature review, which highlights prominent gaps in the published research. There is a lack of understanding as to the effects of adverse environmental factors on the vehicle dynamics, and the effects of the
systems' on the comfort of the driver. A novel twin track approach was taken to investigate these issues: the effects of the systems' on the vehicle dynamics were monitored using a range of off-line simulation tools, while the systems' impact on the driver was considered using an on-line driving simulator experiment.
An adaptive cruise control system was developed, tuned to provide a comfortable response and implemented on a sophisticated off-line 9 degree of freedom vehicle model, with a non-linear tyre model. The system was tested in a range of environmental conditions. These simulations highlighted the good performance of the system in wet conditions, and revealed some possible driver conflicts.
Two lateral control systems were developed, one based on a look down methodology, and the second on a more driver emulating look ahead approach. The systems were tested using the same high fidelity vehicle model, and an extensive range of suitable motorway manoeuvres. The systems were compared, proving the comfort and stability benefits of the look ahead system.
The longitudinal and lateral control systems were integrated with the University of Leeds driving simulator. Ten subject drivers drove with and without the systems through a range of scenarios, some of which required evasive action. The impact of the systems on the driver, and the driver's response to safety critical scenarios was assessed. Results displayed little safety benefit of the systems in evasive scenarios, but drivers perceived
improved awareness and comfort when under their control.
The potential of advanced driver assistance systems to make driving a more comfortable and safe experience has been demonstrated, although the system engineer must consider the impact of the systems on the driver throughout their design and implementation
The effects of driver training on simulated driving performance
No full textGiven that the beneficial effects of driver training on accident risk may not be an appropriate criterion measure, this study investigates whether professionally trained and experienced drivers exhibit safer driving behaviour in a simulated driving task compared with drivers without professional driver training. A sample of 54 police trained drivers and a sample of 56 non-police trained drivers were required to complete two tasks. Firstly to overtake a slow-moving bus on a hazardous stretch of single-lane road with bends and hills and secondly to follow a lead vehicle travelling at 55 mph in a built-up section with a speed limit of 30 mph. Results showed that in comparison with non-police trained drivers, police drivers were significantly less likely to cross the central division of the road at unsafe locations during the overtaking task and reduced their speed on approach to pedestrians at the roadside in the following task to a greater extent. Police drivers also adopted a more central lane position compared with non-police trained drivers on urban roads and at traffic lights during the following task. Driver group differences in simulated driving performance are discussed with reference to the implications for driver training assessment and skill development
Development and validation of a self-report measure of bus driver behaviour
No full textThere are likely to be individual differences in bus driver behaviour when
adhering to strict schedules under time pressure. A reliable and valid
assessment of these individual differences would be useful for bus companies
keen to mitigate risk of crash involvement. This paper reports on three studies
to develop and validate a self-report measure of bus driver behaviour. For study
1, two principal components analyses of a pilot questionnaire revealed six
components describing bus driver behaviour and four bus driver coping
components. In study 2, test-retest reliability of the components were tested in
a sub-sample and found to be adequate. Further, the 10 components were used to
predict bus crash involvement at three levels of culpability with consistently
significant associations found for two components. For study 3, avoidance coping
was consistently associated with celeration variables in a bus simulator,
especially for a time-pressured drive. Statement of Relevance:The instrument can
be used by bus companies for driver stress and fatigue management training to
identify at-risk bus driver behaviour. Training to reduce the tendency to engage
in avoidance coping strategies, improve evaluative coping strategies and hazard
monitoring when under stress may improve bus driver safety
Driver Monitor and Feedback Dispatcher in SPARC
No full textIn context of the EU-project SPARC [1], a comprehensive driver support concept was developed. At first, the actual vehicle behaviour is compared with reference vehicle behaviour, generated by the virtual co-pilot [2]. In case of any deviation the driver will be supported depended on his current condition. With a ‘Driver Monitor’ the system determines to what extent the driver is involved into the actual vehicle guidance. This support is generated by a software module ‘Feedback Dispatcher’ and transmitted as multimodal feedback to the driver
Fuzzy Evolutionary Approaches for Bus and Rail Driver Scheduling
No full textBus and train driver scheduling is a process of partitioning blocks of work, each of which is serviced by one vehicle, into a set of legal driver shifts. The main objectives are to minimise the total number of shifts and the total shift cost. Restrictions imposed by logistic, legal and union agreements make the problem more complicated.
The generate-and-select approach is widely used. A large set of feasible shifts is generated first, and then a subset is selected, from the large set, to form a final schedule by the mathematical programming method. In the subset selection phase, computational difficulties exist because of the NP-hard nature of this combinatorial optimisation problem. This thesis presents two evolutionary algorithms, namely a Genetic Algorithm and a Simulated Evolution algorithm, attempting to model and solve the driver scheduling problem in new ways.
At the heart of both algorithms is a function for evaluating potential driver shifts under fuzzified criteria. A Genetic Algorithm is first employed to calibrate the weight distribution among fuzzy membership functions. A Simulated Evolution algorithm then mimics generations of evolution on the single schedule produced by the Genetic Algorithm. In each generation an unfit portion of the working schedule is removed. The broken schedule is then reconstructed by means of a greedy algorithm, using the weight distribution derived by the Genetic Algorithm. The basic Simulated Evolution algorithm is a greedy search strategy that achieves improvement through iterative perturbation and reconstruction. This approach has achieved success in solving driver scheduling problems from different companies, with comparable results to the previously best known solutions.
Finally, the Simulated Evolution algorithm for driver scheduling has been generalized for the set covering problem, without using any special domain knowledge. This shows that this research is valuable to many applications that can be formulated as set covering models. Furthermore, Taguchi's orthogonal experimental design method has been used for the parameter settings. Computational results have shown that for large-scale problems, in general the proposed approach can produce superior solutions much faster than some existing approaches. This approach is particularly suitable for situations where quick and high-quality solutions are desirable
Driver reactions on ecological feedback via different HMI modalities
No full textNowadays there already exists a large amount of driving-related information displayed in the dashboard and thus additional information concerning ecological driving might enlarge the workload of the driver further. This raises the question whether the presentation of additional ecologic information via the haptic channel is more efficient and comfortable for the driver compared to a visual presentation. Previous studies proved the impact of driver feedback systems on the reduction of fuel consumption. However, most of the studies only dealt with visual displays. Thus in the present study a visual, a haptic, and a visual-haptic interface were designed for an acceleration and a gear shift advice system. Subsequently their impact on the acceleration and the gear shift behavior of the driver as well as their subjective acceptance were compared. Results showed that especially the combination of the visual and haptic modality led to the fastest reaction times and smallest deviations from the optimal acceleration and gear shift behavior. However, concerning the acceptance participants preferred the visual display
Smart driving aids and their effects on driving performance and driver distraction
No full textIn-vehicle information systems have been shown to increase driver workload and cause distraction; both of which are causal factors for accidents. This simulator study evaluates the impact that two designs for a smart driving aid, and scenario complexity have on workload, distraction and driving performance. Results showed that real-time delivery of smart driving information did not increase driver workload or adversely effect driver distraction, while having the effect of decreasing mean driving speed in both the simple and complex driving scenarios. Subjective workload was shown to increase with task difficulty, as well as revealing important differences between the two interface designs
James Glenn Driver Oral History
No full textThe original manuscript transcript of this interview is available in University Archives Oral History Collection in the Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.This interview was conducted as part of the College of William and Mary Oral History Project. James Driver's first encounter with the College of William and Mary came in 1905 when as a freshman he arrived by train from his home north of Richmond. One of the advantages of William and Mary was that Williamsburg was right on the C.&O.line. Walking up from the train, which stopped behind what is now the restored area near Lafayette St., young Driver paused at Hall's Drugstore for his first Coca-Cola. Mr. Driver recalls the college population being 7 professors and 120 students, and some of these faculty members disapproved of the athletic activities which students joined.College of William and Mar
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