Forward Collision Warning Systems—Validating Driving Simulator Results with Field Data

Abstract

With the advent of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), there is an increasing need to evaluate driver behavior while using such technology. In this unique study, a forward collision warning (FCW) system using connected vehicle technology was introduced in a driving simulator environment, to evaluate driver braking behavior, and then the results are validated using data from field tests. A total of 93 participants were recruited for this study, for which a virtual network of South Baltimore was created. A one sample t-test was conducted, and it was found that the mean reduction in speed of 15.07 mph post-FCW is statistically significant. A random forest machine learning algorithm was found to be the best fit for ranking the most important variables in the data set by order of importance. Field data obtained from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) substantiated the FCW findings from this driving simulator study. Our real-world findings confirmed the conclusions drawn from the simulation experiment as it was also found that the presence of the FCW had a positive and significant impact on the change of speed, which proves the effectiveness of our simulation experiment. Moreover, this field experiment found that the majority of drivers started pressing the brake pedal after receiving the warning, which shows the effectiveness of the FCW system. Thus, from both the simulator and the field tests, it can be said that an FCW system is effective in inducing a speed reduction.