Grid-Based Blind Spot Analysis for Indian Driver Anthropometry

Abstract

Increased vehicle population in the developing economies has created a serious road safety challenge in the recent times. World Health Organization report on road safety submitted in 2013 states that the road fatalities per lakh of motor vehicle is found to be 130.1 for India and 104.5 for China. These alarming facts signify the importance of designing and developing safe vehicles in India. Among many aspects, the design and development of driver cabin is considered as a crucial part to impart active and passive safety in the operation of the vehicle. Driver visibility and accessibility to various controls systems within the driver cabin plays a vital role in safe driving of the vehicle. By enhancing the driver visibility through improved driver cabin design will decrease many human errors. This paper deals with the detailed study and assessment of blind spot in four-wheeler for Indian drivers and to maximize the visibility by enhancing the ergonomics of the driver cabin. The 360° Field View Grid-based analysis is carried out for top selling Indian model four wheelers to understand the visibility curve of Indian anthropometry. The above findings and result were found to be alarming regarding the visibility capabilities. The test was carried out for A2 segment top setting Indian model vehicles such as Vehicle A and Vehicle B and A3 segment Vehicle C. The experiment findings state that nearly 40% of the area around the vehicle claims to be falling under blind spot zone from the driver cabin despite side mirrors and rearview mirror. The smart all-weather night vision rear-view camera integrated with an dedicated driver display monitor has been installed in the vehicles to understand the visibility improvements in this low cost top selling vehicles. The grid mapping showed an average of 30% decrease in the blind spot area. The overall cost and installation of the product seems to be quite cheaper whereas the contribution to driver safety is exponentially high.