Driver Error Research Articles

Robotic system for MRI-guided prostate biopsy: feasibility of teleoperated needle insertion and ex vivo phantom study.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) combined with robotic assistance has the potential to improve on clinical outcomes of biopsy and local treatment of prostate cancer. We report the workspace optimization and phantom evaluation of a five Degree of Freedom (DOF) parallel pneumatically actuated modular robot for MRI-guided prostate biopsy. To shorten procedure time and consequently increase patient comfort and system accuracy, a prototype of a MRI-compatible master-slave needle driver module using piezo motors was also added to the base robot. Variable size workspace was achieved using appropriate link length, compared with the previous design. The 5-DOF targeting accuracy demonstrated an average error of 2.5mm (STD=1.37mm) in a realistic phantom inside a 3T magnet with a bevel-tip 18G needle. The average position tracking error of the master-slave needle driver was always below 0.1mm. Phantom experiments showed sufficient accuracy for manual prostate biopsy. Also, the implementation of teleoperated needle insertion was feasible and accurate. These two together suggest the feasibility of accurate fully actuated needle placement into prostate while keeping the clinician supervision over the task.

Prevalence of refraction errors and color blindness in heavy vehicle drivers.

To investigate the frequency of eye disorders in heavy vehicle drivers. A cross-sectional type study was conducted between November 2004 and September 2006 in 200 driver and 200 non-driver persons. A complete ophthalmologic examination was performed, including visual acuity, and dilated examination of the posterior segment. We used the auto refractometer for determining refractive errors. According to eye examination results, the prevalence of the refractive error was 21.5% and 31.3% in study and control groups respectively (P<0.05). The most common type of refraction error in the study group was myopic astigmatism (8.3%) while in the control group simple myopia (12.8%). Prevalence of dyschromatopsia in the rivers, control group and total group was 2.2%, 2.8% and 2.6% respectively. A considerably high number of drivers are in lack of optimal visual acuity. Refraction errors in drivers may impair the traffic security.

Emotionally involving telephone conversations lead to driver error and visual tunnelling

It is now well established that driving performance deteriorates during a mobile phone conversation, but the precise conditions under which interference occurs warrant further research. The present study examined the effects of varying the participants’ level of emotional involvement in the conversation, while keeping the conversation similar in content for all participants. Twenty-six participants, half of whom were spider-phobics, completed a simulated driving task, either while undistracted or while conversing on the subject of spiders. The individuals who were spider-phobic, and hence more emotionally involved in the conversation, demonstrated significantly higher cognitive workload (as indexed by heart rate), made more driving errors, and demonstrated a significant decline in the range of their visual fixations, showing a pattern of visual tunnelling. The type of conversation engaged in has a significant effect on driver performance: the more emotionally involving the conversation, the greater its potential for distraction.

Education influence in traffic safety: A case study in Vietnam

It is well known that traffic accidents are of high importance to the public health spectrum around the world. Moreover, in developing countries such as Vietnam, the mortality rate from road traffic accidents is rather high in comparison with other Southeast Asian countries. Not only do the majority of the people killed and seriously injured significantly affect the quality of life of the citizens, but traffic accidents also negatively impact a nation's economic and social development. Statistics show that far more people are injured or die in traffic accidents than are afflicted by any of the most serious diseases. The very high occurrence of traffic accidents in Vietnam has become one of the country's major social issues. The importance of human factors in transport policy discussion is growing. There is a realization that policy options that appear beneficial in principle have to be checked for their feasibility of implementation. Understanding and describing driver behavior become a challenge when one tries to identify driver errors in determining accident/conflict causal factors and countermeasures.In recent years, having understood the serious effects of traffic accidents on society at large, scientific researchers, traffic engineers and policy makers in Vietnam have developed many projects and conducted research in the field of traffic safety. The human factor is also considered to be the central element in the whole system. The final goal is to organize a traffic environment that is convenient and safe for road users.This article explains the application of the risk analysis approach in evaluating influences of education and enforcement in traffic safety.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Driving Support System for Collision Avoidance with a View to the Integrated Error of Driver and System

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Driving Support System for Collision Avoidance with a View to the Integrated Error of Driver and System

3112 衝突防止支援制動装置の制御仕様の差が運転行動に与える影響(OS10-2 シミュレータの応用,OS10 ビークルシミュレータの開発と応用,オーガナイズド・セッション(OS))

In this study, collision-prevention support braking was used as an example, and a methodology for estimating the collision mitigation ratio using this system is discussed. A method for analyzing the collision-mitigation ratio is discussed through a time series Monte-Carlo simulation based on the integrated error of driver and system. First, driver performance in terms of braking timing and deceleration level for collision avoidance was analyzed in a driving simulator when the control timing of the braking-support system was changed. In this analysis, the braking behavior of driver during malfunction of the system and this behavior when the driver was informed about the malfunction of the system were also investigated. Next, a driver model simulating braking operation, when a preceding vehicle started slowdown was constructed. Through time series simulations using this driver model, the frequency of collisions with a preceding vehicle and the collision velocity were estimated.

Designing for the Safety of Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Motorists in Urban Environments

Problem: While design solutions aimed at enhancing the safety of pedestrians are viewed as being incompatible with those intended to improve the safety of motorists, there has been little meaningful evaluation of the issue. Instead, this disagreement is based largely on the theoretical assertion that traffic crashes are the result of random driver error, and that the only certain means for addressing safety is to design roadways to be forgiving of these errors when they occur. This perspective overlooks the possibility that crashes may instead be the product of systematic patterns of behavior associated with the characteristics of the built environment. Purpose: This study sought to discover whether urban crash incidence is the product of random error, or whether it may be influenced by characteristics of the built environment. Methods: We used negative binomial regression models to examine the relationship between several aspects of the built environment and the incidence of crashes involving motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. We further subdivided motorist crashes into multiple-vehicle, fixed-object, and parked-car crashes to determine if these crash types had unique characteristics. Results and conclusions: We used vehicle miles of travel as a proxy for random error and found it to be positively, but weakly, associated with crashes involving motorists and pedestrians. We found stronger associations between crashes and characteristics of the built environment. We found miles of arterial roadways and numbers of four-leg intersections, strip commercial uses, and big box stores to be major crash risk factors, while pedestrian-scaled retail uses were associated with lower crash incidences. The results suggest that improvements to urban traffic safety require that designers balance the inherent tension between safety and traffic conflicts, rather than simply designing roadways to be forgiving. Takeaway for practice: Most of the ongoing debate between pedestrian advocates and traffic engineers has focused on the relative desirability of designing urban roadways to be forgiving to random driver error. Such debates have led both groups to ignore the more salient issue of systematic error. This study finds that the factors associated with a vehicle crashing into a pedestrian and cyclist are largely the same as those resulting in a crash with another vehicle. Designs that balance the inherent tension between vehicle speeds and traffic conflicts can be used to enhance the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike. Research support: This research was sponsored by the Southwest University Transportation Center.

Method for Evaluating Effectiveness of Information Presentation in Terms of Collision Avoidance

A methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of information presentation regarding oncoming vehicles at intersections in terms of reducing traffic accidents was proposed. In this study, a method for analyzing the accident-reduction effect is discussed based on the "integrated error of driver and system" that the authors propose. First, driver performance was analyzed in a driving simulator with the visibility range being changed and the information system used or not used. Next, a driver model simulating right turns at intersections was constructed. From these investigations, the integrated error is discussed considering the risk-taking behavior of the driver as related to system dependence. The frequency of collisions at intersections was analyzed through simulations by using this driver model. One result analyzed through this simulation study indicates that the frequency of collisions at intersections decreased from 6.1 × 10-3 to 1.0 × 10-6 when the driver used the information system for avoiding collisions.

Reliability and safety analysis methodology for identification of drivers’ erroneous actions

Owing to significantly individual differences in everyday driving behavior, it is quite difficult to assess the relative importance of driver errors compared with vehicle faults or road environment anomalies. This paper briefly presents several basic concepts for analysis of driving dependability including driving errors, driving reliability, driver recovery from erroneous actions, and key factors that shape driving behavior. This presentation is followed by construction of a shaping architecture for driving behavior that consists of a perception stage, a decision-making stage, an execution stage and correlativity among stages, in addition to internal feedback from complex traffic states. The causation classification of driving errors is then discussed in the context of three elemental types: perception error, decision-making error and execution error. The emphasis of this paper is on how to quantify driving dependability in order to identify various erroneous driver actions during traffic accidents. Specifically, this paper proposes a methodology to measure the probability of driving errors by considering the driver recovery from erroneous actions. The purpose of model-based driving dependability analysis is to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the relationship between driving errors and traffic accidents causations.

Prevalence of teen driver errors leading to serious motor vehicle crashes

Objectives Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of adolescent deaths. Programs and policies should target the most common and modifiable reasons for crashes. We estimated the frequency of critical reasons for crashes involving teen drivers, and examined in more depth specific teen driver errors. Methods The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey collected data at the scene of a nationally representative sample of 5470 serious crashes between 7/05 and 12/07. NHTSA researchers assigned a single driver, vehicle, or environmental factor as the critical reason for the event immediately leading to each crash. We analyzed crashes involving 15–18 year old drivers. Results 822 teen drivers were involved in 795 serious crashes, representing 335,667 teens in 325,291 crashes. Driver error was by far the most common reason for crashes (95.6%), as opposed to vehicle or environmental factors. Among crashes with a driver error, a teen made the error 79.3% of the time (75.8% of all teen-involved crashes). Recognition errors (e.g., inadequate surveillance, distraction) accounted for 46.3% of all teen errors, followed by decision errors (e.g., following too closely, too fast for conditions) (40.1%) and performance errors (e.g., loss of control) (8.0%). Inadequate surveillance, driving too fast for conditions, and distracted driving together accounted for almost half of all crashes. Aggressive driving behavior, drowsy driving, and physical impairments were less commonly cited as critical reasons. Males and females had similar proportions of broadly classified errors, although females were specifically more likely to make inadequate surveillance errors. Conclusions Our findings support prioritization of interventions targeting driver distraction and surveillance and hazard awareness training.

Driving errors influence an older drivers decision to give up or restrict driving

PurposeExplore driving errors in older drivers and the subsequent decision to restrict or stop driving.Methods1425 drivers aged 67–87, enrolled in a longitudinal study completed 5-day naturalistic driving assessment. Rate of...

Sleep deficit and conduct disorder before and after us driving age as risk factors for adult risky driving behaviour and problematic alcohol use

Risk factors for vehicular collisions include driver error and inattention, sleep deficit/drowsy driving, speeding, traffic law violations and substance use. Little research has explored the complex interplay among these risk...

Expectations while car following—The consequences for driving behaviour in a simulated driving task

The purpose of this study was to better understand the causes of driver errors in the context of rear-end crashes. When drivers move in traffic they generate an overall assessment of the driving situation and what will happen in the near future. Certain cues in the traffic environment may create an expectation that some specific action is required. The more relevant cues are present, the more the driver will expect that some kind of intervention may be required. In contrary, if hardly any or no relevant cues are present, the driver does not anticipate that an imminent reaction will be necessary. This idea is supported by results from accident analyses which showed that in many cases, rear-end crashes occur in situations which are usually easy to handle (e.g. straight roads, low traffic density). In these situations, drivers may not anticipate that the driver in front will brake and they are thus following too closely to be able to react in time when the front vehicle suddenly brakes or stops. In order to test this hypothesis experimentally, in a driving simulator experiment different expectations were generated by varying the behaviour of a lead car (different braking behaviour, signalling or not before a turn). Driver behaviour was examined after these variations. The analyses partially confirm the influence of different expectations generated by the lead car's behaviour in the first phase of the scenario. Drivers with a respective expectation reacted faster when the car in front suddenly braked and signalled their manoeuvre before turning right at an intersection. However, during a car following phase, drivers did not adapt their speed or distance depending on this expectation. These results can be used to adapt a driver assistance system in car following situations. This should warn and intervene, especially in cases when drivers do not foresee the need for action and therefore cannot react in time.

It is too early to blame drivers for sudden unintended acceleration

Early investigations into cars that unexpectedly accelerate out of control points the finger at driver error. But concerns remain over the role of the electronic throttle

Neuropsychological Predictors of Driving Errors in Older Adults

To identify neuropsychological factors associated with driving errors in older adults. Cross-sectional observational study. Neuropsychological assessment laboratory and an instrumented vehicle on a 35-mile route on urban and rural roads. One hundred eleven older adult drivers (aged 65-89; mean age 72.3) and 80 middle-aged drivers (aged 40-64; mean age 57.2). Explanatory variables included age, neuropsychological measures (cognitive, visual, and motor), and a composite cognitive score (COGSTAT). The outcome variable was the safety error count, as classified according to video review using a standardized taxonomy. Older drivers committed an average of 35.8 +/- 12.8 safety errors per drive, compared with an average of 27.8 +/- 9.8 for middle-aged drivers (P<.001). For older drivers, there was an increase of 2.6 errors per drive observed for each 5-year age increase (P=.03). After adjustment for age, education, and sex, COGSTAT was a significant predictor of safety errors in older drivers (P=.005), with an approximately 10% increase in safety errors observed for a 10% decrease in cognitive function. Individual significant predictors of more safety errors in older drivers included poorer scores on the Complex Figure Test--Copy, the Complex Figure Test--Recall, Block Design, Near Visual Acuity, and the Grooved Pegboard task. Driving errors in older adults tend to increase, even in the absence of neurological diagnoses. Age-related decline in cognitive abilities, vision, and motor skills can explain some of this increase. Changes in visuospatial and visuomotor abilities appear to be particularly associated with unsafe driving in old age.

The Role of Driver Age and Gender in Motor Vehicle Fatal Crashes

This study compares the age and gender of at-fault drivers who were involved in fatal crashes and the corresponding driving errors that contributed to these crashes. This comparison provides insights that may help traffic engineers devise countermeasures to lessen the number of these unnecessary deaths. Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 2001 through 2003 were used in this study. The analysis included passenger vehicles (automobiles, utility vehicles, minivans, and pickup trucks) involved in either single- or two-vehicle crashes. The driver responsible in each crash was identified through the driver error variable codes as listed in the FARS databases. Younger drivers (16 through 19 years of age) and the elderly (those 75 and older) were responsible for a disproportionate amount of fatality-related crashes. When combined these two groups accounted for only 6.4% of the total miles driven in 2001, but they were responsible for 83.1% of the fatal crashes attributed to driver-related errors. Driver operating error was listed as the contributing factor in 73% of fatal motor vehicle crashes when the driver was male and 83% of the crashes when the driver was female. The youngest drivers tended to be carrying the highest number of passengers when they were involved in fatal crashes. Failing to stay in the proper lane and driving too fast for road conditions were the two most frequent driver operating errors contributing to fatal crashes for male and female drivers.

Situation awareness assessment in critical driving situations at intersections by task and human error analysis

AbstractThe rapid development of sensor and tracking technology enables deployment of new Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that support the driver not just on highways but in urban areas as well. Intersections particularly present critical traffic scenarios where almost 35% of accidents occur, partially due to the present lack of in‐depth research about human errors and their determinants. The first step in ergonomic design of ADAS is to identify the specific situations in which drivers require support. To contribute to identification of such spots, situation awareness of 20 drivers in four critical intersection scenarios was explored. The study was conducted in the fixed‐base driving simulator. The applied approach consisted of assessing drivers' expectations and mental workload and of comparing theoretically correct cognitive behavior to experimentally collected data. Intersection scenarios were divided into five segments, and for each segment a task analysis was made. The study has shown that the driving simulator environment can be successfully deployed to provoke and explore various driver errors. The results have revealed that, in scenarios in which information is objectively missing, the majority of errors happened because the drivers had inaccurate mental models of particular scenarios. To the contrary, in the complex scenario the major cause of accidents was information overload. Furthermore, the task analysis disclosed applicable areas of intersection assistance. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Predictors of Lane‐Change Errors in Older Drivers

To determine the factors that predict errors in executing proper lane changes among older drivers. Cross-sectional analysis of data from a longitudinal study. Maryland's Eastern Shore. One thousand eighty drivers aged 67 to 87 enrolled in the Salisbury Eye Evaluation Driving Study. Tests of vision, cognition, health status, and self-reported distress and a driving monitoring system in each participant's car, used to quantify lane-change errors. In regression models, measures of neither vision nor perceived stress were related to lane-change errors after controlling for age, sex, race, and residence location. In contrast, cognitive variables, specifically performance on the Brief Test of Attention and the Beery-Buktenicka Test of Visual-Motor Integration, were related to lane-change errors. The current findings underscore the importance of specific cognitive skills, particularly auditory attention and visual perception, in the execution of driving maneuvers in older individuals.

실시간 운전 특성 모니터링 시스템을 위한 차량 환경 개발

There has been recent interest in intelligent vehicle technologies, such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs) or in-vehicle information systems (IVISs) that offer a significant enhancement of safety and convenience to drivers and passengers. However, unsuitable design of HMI (Human Machine Interface) must increase driver distraction and workload, which in turn increase the chance of traffic accidents. Distraction in particular often occurs under a heavy driving workload due to multitasking with various electronic devices like a cell phone or a navigation system while driving. According to the 2005 road traffic accidents in Korea report published by the Road Traffic Authority (ROTA), more than 60% of the traffic accidents are related to driver error caused by distraction. This paper suggests the structure of vehicle environment for real-time driving behavior monitoring system while driving which is can be used the driver workload management systems (DWMS). On-road experiment results showed the feasibility of the suggested vehicle environment for driving behavior monitoring system.

Khat, driver impairment and road traffic injuries: a view from Ethiopia

This article comments on the problem of driver impairment due to khat and the resulting road traffic injuries in Ethiopia. The authors maintain that research into traffic accidents has been dominated by issues of concern to high-income countries while issues of primary concern to developing countries have been neglected. One of these is the stimulant effect of the leaf khat (Catha edulis, also spelled qat or kat), commonly chewed by drivers in Ethiopia and other countries in eastern Africa and the Arabian peninsula. The authors first review the traffic and safety statistics from Ethiopia, which has some of the most dangerous roads in the world. Although there is no equipment available to law enforcement officers to measure drug use, both police and government officials as well as the general public believe khat use is a major cause of driver error and crashes. Khat is a stimulant and its regular use as been integral to social life in Ethiopia. The use of khat initially leads to euphoria, feelings of alertness and excitability, typically followed by irritability and insomnia and, later, lethargy. The authors review the legalities of growing and using khat in Ethiopia; the inclusion of khat use under a little-enforced law regarding driving under the influence of mind-affecting drugs; how Ethiopia can learn from the international experience of dealing with driving under the influence (DUI) problems; and the need for more road safety research, particularly regarding khat-related impairment. The authors suggest that khat-related impairment could be an overlooked contributor to the extraordinarily high traffic crash and fatality rates in Ethiopia and other countries in eastern Africa. They call for research in three areas that could be used to support effective policy responses: which drivers chew khat; when, and under what circumstances, they chew it; and the beliefs that drivers have about the effects of khat on their driving ability.