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
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
Streamlining Driver Research into Humans/Autonomous Vehicle Interactions
Published on September 24, 2021
A recent article in the New York Times highlighted “a growing number of crashes involving [Tesla’s] Autopilot that have fueled concerns about the technology’s shortcomings.” This is calling into question the speed with which automakers are developing and deploying new ADAS (advanced driver-assistance system) features. These concerns should be guiding driver research. But, to date, … Continued
Autonomous Vehicle Research: Teaching Smart Cars to Detect Dumb Decisions
Published on August 27, 2021
Each year roughly 1 million people are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. For the past ten years alcohol has played a role in roughly 30% of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. Concerted marketing and law enforcement efforts to reduce drunk driving through the 1990s were remarkably successful. But in the … Continued
Make Complicated Driving Research Easy—the ‘Mind Over Motor Mapping’ Example
Published on May 4, 2021
To error is human—especially behind the wheel. According to government estimates and existing driving research, roughly 94% of all auto accidents result from driver error. Autonomous vehicles offer an important opportunity to reduce human error behind the wheel. But as we’ve seen over the last several years, the rise in autonomous driving systems has … Continued
Overcoming Limitations in Human Factors Research into Distracted Driving
Published on April 7, 2021
Human factors research is keenly interested in what’s happening in the brain of distracted drivers while texting or using GPS apps. Roughly 4,000 people are killed each year by distracted driving and another 390,000 injured. By some estimates, one-quarter of all U.S. car accidents are caused by someone texting and driving. Previous research has … Continued