Presentation
Brake Response Time and the Effects of Parked and Incurring Vehicles on Driver Behavior
SessionST8: Driver Behavior
DescriptionPerception-response time (PRT), or the time it takes to respond to a hazard, is a common parameter studied in driving research. PRT is typically measured from when a hazard becomes visible to when the driver initiates a response, such as releasing the accelerator or applying the brake pedal. An understanding of driver response times and the factors that affect them is important for establishing appropriate sightlines in road design, determining warning times for driver assistance systems, and evaluating a driver’s action leading up to a collision. Since there are limits to the type and urgency of the hazards that can be safely presented to drivers in real-world, on-road settings, many response time studies have used driving simulators. Some researchers, however, argue that driving simulators, whether due to their artificial visual environment or the fact that subjects know they are in an experiment, generate response times that are faster than those in on-road settings.
In the present study, we attempted to reproduce in a driving simulator a commonly relied upon response-time study by Mazzae et al (2003). Mazzae et al (2003) had 245 subjects drive laps in a real car on a figure-eight track as they monitored their distance to a lead vehicle. During each of several initial laps, subjects passed through an intersection where two opposing vehicles were stopped at stop signs on the cross street. On the fourth lap, the stopped vehicle on the subject’s right was replaced with a foam replica, towed rapidly into drivers’ path, and then stopped blocking half the subject’s lane. The subject’s pedal and steering response times to the intruding vehicle hazard were recorded. Subjects were not told the true purpose of the study, but rather that the study involved collecting driver behaviour data in typical driving conditions.
The primary goal of the current study was to determine whether the unexpected response times observed in the Mazzae et al (2003) study could be replicated in a driving simulator. The secondary goals of the study were to evaluate how different factors in the configuration of the Mazzae et al (2003) study affected driver response times. Prior work has shown that urgency of response, expectancy, hazard eccentricity, road type, hazard type, and response complexity affect response times (Green, 2000; Jurecki & Stanczyk, 2018; Muttart, 2001, 2004; Olson & Farber, 2003; Summala, 2000). For our secondary goals, we focused on whether the presence of the vehicles at the stop signs during the initial laps and the presence of vehicles parked on the right road edge affected driver response times.
In the present study, we attempted to reproduce in a driving simulator a commonly relied upon response-time study by Mazzae et al (2003). Mazzae et al (2003) had 245 subjects drive laps in a real car on a figure-eight track as they monitored their distance to a lead vehicle. During each of several initial laps, subjects passed through an intersection where two opposing vehicles were stopped at stop signs on the cross street. On the fourth lap, the stopped vehicle on the subject’s right was replaced with a foam replica, towed rapidly into drivers’ path, and then stopped blocking half the subject’s lane. The subject’s pedal and steering response times to the intruding vehicle hazard were recorded. Subjects were not told the true purpose of the study, but rather that the study involved collecting driver behaviour data in typical driving conditions.
The primary goal of the current study was to determine whether the unexpected response times observed in the Mazzae et al (2003) study could be replicated in a driving simulator. The secondary goals of the study were to evaluate how different factors in the configuration of the Mazzae et al (2003) study affected driver response times. Prior work has shown that urgency of response, expectancy, hazard eccentricity, road type, hazard type, and response complexity affect response times (Green, 2000; Jurecki & Stanczyk, 2018; Muttart, 2001, 2004; Olson & Farber, 2003; Summala, 2000). For our secondary goals, we focused on whether the presence of the vehicles at the stop signs during the initial laps and the presence of vehicles parked on the right road edge affected driver response times.
Event Type
Lecture
TimeWednesday, September 11th1:30pm - 1:50pm MST
LocationFLW Salon G
Surface Transportation