Better Fire Pump Operator Training for Airfields and Air Force Bases
Published on July 28, 2022
Eielson Air Force Base in central Alaska is less than 200 miles from the Arctic Circle and often sees temperatures as low as minus 50º Fahrenheit. As Staff Sgt. Joseph Cappel (a 354th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department crew chief) explained in 2018: “These conditions are vicious; it makes training difficult. If the temperatures … Continued
Autonomous Vehicle Research: Looking Beyond “Ownship”
Published on April 1, 2022
A good deal of autonomous vehicle research—and certainly the bulk of AV and ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) reporting—focuses on how AVs interact with traffic on the individual and group level or how vehicle owners interact with their ADAS-equipped vehicles. But there is more to the world than the ownership. Improving road safety goes far beyond … Continued
“Buying the Bus is the Easy Part” EV/ZEB Bus Driver Training Challenges
Published on January 28, 2022
Given the realities of climate change and energy production, we are moving to a ZEB (zero-emissions bus) world sooner than later and not looking back. As more agencies explore what it will take to transition their fleet, they’re beginning to appreciate that, as one European transit agency recently put it, “buying the [zero-emissions] bus is … Continued
Exploring Driver Disengagement During AV/ADAS Operation
Published on January 21, 2022
It’s become abundantly clear that, as vehicles themselves become more capable of taking on routine driving tasks, human factors research has become even more critical for roadway safety. An increasing number of “autonomous” and ADAS-Enhanced (advanced driver-assistance system) vehicles are entering the market and joining us on roadways. Unfortunately, surveys have found that roughly half … Continued
Do Aggressive Drivers Speed or Does Speed Make Us Aggressive?
Published on January 14, 2022
It’s generally accepted that “speed kills.” Urban or rural, single vehicle or multi-vehicle, with or without pedestrians: both the risk of a crash and the severity of that crash increases with speed. What we don’t understand is the interplay of speed, aggressiveness, and time pressure. Advanced immersive simulators are making it possible for driving research … Continued
Using Simulation Technology to Change Driver Behavior
Published on January 7, 2022
Even as driver’s education has become more comprehensive and rules around driving for young adults more stringent, the rate of serious accidents is still quite high. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, new teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash than more experienced drivers. Driver distraction … Continued
Perplexing Problems in Distracted Driving Research
Published on December 3, 2021
We all know that distracted driving is dangerous. One popular (and extremely hard to source) “fact” often attributed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is that “texting and driving is six times more dangerous than drunk driving.” And even if that isn’t an actual demonstrable fact, it certainly feels right. Many U.S. agencies … Continued
Avoiding the Pitfalls of “Perfect-World Scenario” Fire Department Training
Published on
In a November article for Fire Engineering, Burlington (NC) Fire Department battalion chief Paul Watlington sang the praises—and spoke to the brain-bending complexities—of pump operations. It isn’t just that each department has a unique mix of equipment. And it’s not only that new equipment and apparatuses enter the market, altering some of the fundamentals underlying … Continued
Driving Research: Can ADAS Improve “Hazard Anticipation” Among Young Drivers?
Published on November 12, 2021
Rear-end collisions account for approximately 28% of all collisions. Multiple studies have demonstrated that forward roadway collision systems show a great deal of promise in reducing such crashes. For example, with experienced and older drivers, even relatively unobtrusive SAE Level 1 ADAS forward roadway collision systems have been shown to lead to shorter reaction times, … Continued
Military Simulation Training Exercise Held At Camp Lejeune
Published on November 8, 2021
Michael Stewart, a training equipment specialist, spoke to the significance of the technological advancements the military base has. He pointed out how the simulation training center has capabilities for marines to experience simulation training in convoys as well as 12 other marine vehicle trainings. “The benefits are immeasurable. We get the marines in here — … Continued