Driver Inputs during Emergency or Extreme Vehicle Maneuvers

Four representative vehicles used in a previous open-loop comparative study were tested with a sampling of volunteers from the general public. The tests included pre-planned and simulated emergency maneuvers. Various vehicle input and response parameters were measured, and the results were used to evaluate current open-loop test maneuvers and parameters. In addition, the degree to which this sampling of drivers utilized the full capabilities of the vehicles was determined. Drivers rarely use the full capabilities of vehicles and tend to adjust their inputs to neutralize differences among vehicles.