Driving Behavior and Decision Mechanisms in Emergency Conditions

Abstract

In this article we used simulator experiments to explore the intelligent mechanisms of human decision-making. Three types of typical emergency scenarios were used in the experiment, in which Scenario 1 was used to analyze the driver’s choice to protect themselves or to protect pedestrians in emergency situations. Scenario 2 was compared with Scenario 1 to verify whether the driver’s avoidance behavior to protect pedestrians was instinctive or selective. Scenario 3 was to verify whether the driver would follow the principle of damage minimization. The driver’s decisions and actions in emergency situations, from the cumulative frequency of time to collision (TTC) to the maximum steering wheel angle rate during the experiments, were recorded. The results show that the driver was not just instinctively avoiding the immediate obstacle, but more selectively protecting pedestrians. At the same time, the time taken up by the driver’s instinctive avoidance response also had a negative impact on decision-making. The actual decisions of the driver were analyzed to provide a basis for building up the ethical decision-making of autonomous vehicles.