Collision warning timing, driver distraction, and driver response to imminent rear-end collisions in a high-fidelity driving simulator.

Full Abstract

Rear-end collisions account for almost 30% of automotive crashes. Rear-end collision avoidance systems (RECASs) may offer a promising approach to help drivers avoid these crashes. Two experiments performed using a high-fidelity motion-based driving simulator examined driver responses to evaluate the efficacy of a RECAS. The first experiment showed that early warnings helped distracted drivers react more quickly--and thereby avoid more collisions--than did late warnings or no warnings. Compared with the no-warning condition, an early RECAS warning reduced the number of collisions by 80.7%. Assuming collision severity is proportional to kinetic energy, the early warning reduced collision severity by 96.5%. In contrast, the late warning reduced collisions by 50.0% and the corresponding severity by 87.5%. The second experiment showed that RECAS benefits even undistracted drivers. Analysis of the braking process showed that warnings provide a potential safety benefit by reducing the time required for drivers to release the accelerator. Warnings do not, however, speed application of the brake, increase maximum deceleration, or affect mean deceleration. These results provide the basis for a computational model of driver performance that was used to extrapolate the findings and identify the most promising parameter settings. Potential applications of these results include methods for evaluating collision warning systems, algorithm design guidance, and driver performance model input.

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Author information

Author/s: Lee, John D (JD); McGehee, Daniel V (DV); Brown, Timothy L (TL); Reyes, Michelle L (ML);

Affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52245, USA. jdlee@engineering.uiowa.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Human factors (Hum Factors), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-; vol 44 (issue 2) : pp 314-34

Dates: Created 2002/11/27; Completed 2002/12/26; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12452276, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Accidents, Traffic - prevention & control; psychology
Adult
Attention
Automobile Driving - psychology
Computer Simulation
Female

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