Driver Workload at Higher Speeds

The goal of this Texas Department of Transportation project was to gain a better understanding of driver performance at high speeds. Specific efforts included the following studies: (1) The Closed-Course Pilot Study consisted of observing and recording the activities and actions of a series of drivers following a lead vehicle going either 60 or 85 mph. (2) The Open-Road Pilot Study recorded participants driving between Odessa and Pecos, Texas, within 70- and 80-mph sections. (3) The Simulator Pilot Study determined driver reactions to a looming vehicle (both passenger car and large truck) and also generated directions for how to conduct the Phase II simulator study. (4) The Simulator Phase II Study collected brake reaction to a vehicle looming in the driver’s view for 50 participants. Conditions varied included initial speed, lead vehicle type, lead vehicle deceleration rate, and workload level. (5) The Following Distance Study used data from traffic counters to identify speed and axle gap data on freeways with 60-, 70-, and 80-mph posted speed limits. (6) The Gaps at Passing Study measured gaps during passing maneuvers for daylight conditions on freeway sections. When responding to a vehicle slowing in their lane, drivers in the Simulator Phase II Study at the 85-mph speed had a reaction time that was statistically longer than that of drivers at the 60-mph speed. In the simulator, on-road, and test track studies where researchers directly measured driver performance, performance declined when a driver was multitasking at the higher speed. The traffic counter data showed that axle clearance distance was larger for the 80-mph freeway sites as compared to the 60- and 70-mph speed limit sites, both statistically and practically. The Gaps at Passing Study found a different result; drivers used similar passing gap distances on both 70- and 80-mph sections.

[1]  Eugene Farber,et al.  Forensic Aspects of Driver Perception and Response , 1996 .

[2]  J Tiffin,et al.  Distortion of drivers' estimates of automobile speed as a function of speed adaptation. , 1969, The Journal of applied psychology.

[3]  J. Arnett,et al.  Reckless driving in adolescence: 'state' and 'trait' factors. , 1997, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[4]  Thomas A. Dingus,et al.  The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study Phase II – Results of the 100-Car Field Experiment , 2006 .

[5]  L. Robertson,et al.  For and against , 2002, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[6]  D. Kahneman,et al.  Attention and Effort , 1973 .

[7]  Roger P Bligh,et al.  CRITERIA FOR HIGH DESIGN SPEED FACILITIES , 2007 .

[8]  P. Hancock,et al.  A Dynamic Model of Stress and Sustained Attention , 1989, Human factors.

[9]  A. Costall,et al.  Gaze Patterns in the Visual Control of Straight-Road Driving and Braking as a Function of Speed and Expertise , 2005 .

[10]  Raymond J Kiefer,et al.  Developing an inverse time-to-collision crash alert timing approach based on drivers' last-second braking and steering judgments. , 2005, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[11]  Gerald J S Wilde.  Does risk homoeostasis theory have implications for road safety. For. , 2002, BMJ.

[12]  Dot Hs,et al.  Forward Collision Warning Requirements Project Final Report - Task 1 , 2003 .

[13]  Moshe Eizenman,et al.  THE IMPACT OF COGNITIVE DISTRACTION ON DRIVER VISUAL BEHAVIOUR AND VEHICLE CONTROL , 2002 .

[14]  H W Kruysse.  The subjective evaluation of traffic conflicts based on an internal concept of dangerousness. , 1991, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[15]  Kay Fitzpatrick,et al.  DETERMINATION OF STOPPING SIGHT DISTANCES , 1997 .

[16]  Richard van der Horst,et al.  Occlusion as a measure for visual workload: an overview of TNO occlusion research in car driving. , 2004 .

[17]  Kay Fitzpatrick,et al.  Driver Perception–Brake Response in Stopping Sight Distance Situations , 1998 .

[18]  D Walton,et al.  Measuring perceived risk: Self-reported and actual hand positions of SUV and car drivers , 2007 .

[19]  Kay Fitzpatrick,et al.  Driver Eye and Vehicle Heights for Use in Geometric Design , 1998 .

[20]  Kay Fitzpatrick,et al.  Operating Speed on Crest Vertical Curves with Limited Stopping Sight Distance , 2000 .

[21]  D Walton,et al.  Naturalistic observations of driver hand positions , 2005 .

[22]  Paul J Carlson,et al.  DESIGN SPEED, OPERATING SPEED, AND POSTED SPEED PRACTICES , 2003 .

[23]  Marguerite L. Zarrillo.  Traffic Engineering Handbook (Fifth Edition) , 2001 .

[24]  Leonard Evans,et al.  The Influence of Forward Vision and Target Size on Apparent Inter-Vehicular Spacing , 1976 .

[25]  Moshe Eizenman,et al.  An on-road assessment of cognitive distraction: impacts on drivers' visual behavior and braking performance. , 2007, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[26]  H Lunenfeld,et al.  A USER'S GUIDE TO POSITIVE GUIDANCE. 2ND EDITION , 1981 .

[27]  Kay Fitzpatrick,et al.  Driver Braking Performance in Stopping Sight Distance Situations , 2000 .

[28]  M. Sivak.  The Information That Drivers Use: Is it Indeed 90% Visual? , 1996, Perception.

[29]  Daniel P. J. Bruneau,et al.  A self-analysis of the NASA-TLX workload measure , 2007, Ergonomics.

[30]  Kay Fitzpatrick,et al.  Safety Effects of Limited Stopping Sight Distance on Crest Vertical Curves , 2000 .

[31]  Kay Fitzpatrick,et al.  Effects of Horizontal Curvature on Driver Visual Demand , 2000 .

[32]  Nikiforos Stamatiadis,et al.  Problem Driving Maneuvers of Elderly Drivers , 2003 .