On-road Experience Research Articles

“To Lane or Not to Lane?”—Comparing On-Road Experiences in Developing and Developed Countries Using a New Simulator RoadBird

“To Lane or Not to Lane?”—Comparing On-Road Experiences in Developing and Developed Countries Using a New Simulator <i>RoadBird</i>

Exploring Individual Differences in Consumer Understanding of Partially Automated Driving Systems Before and After Exposure

With the driver responsibilities that are required to safely operate ADAS driving systems, it is critical that users understand the capabilities and limitations of these systems. The present study was a secondary analysis of data from a previous study that examined driver understanding and expectations of an SAE L2 driving system after brief training and after brief on-road experience using the system. The current analysis examined the role of demographic and individual difference factors on driver understanding and perceptions of the system immediately after training as well as changes after brief experience using the system. Models were used to examine relationships between the demographic and individual difference factors and various outcomes related to understanding and expectations of the system. It was found that age, gender, prosocial driving scores, aggressive driving scores, and education level were significant predictors of participant understanding outcomes surveyed after system training. Gender, employment status, race and ethnicity, prosocial driving scores, and aggressive driving scores were relevant individual differences for significant changes in perceptions of the L2 system capabilities and limitations after experience using the system themselves. These findings have implications for training and other approaches to address knowledge gaps.

The role of control in risk perception on rural roads

Risk perception plays an important role in driver behaviour, particularly for speed choice. Risk perception studies use a range of techniques from on-road data collection to ratings of still photos, however participants’ ratings differ depending on the study methodology, possibly due to their perception of control. To explore this we conducted a multiple methods study to investigate drivers’ perceptions of risk on rural roads. One group of participants drove (Drivers, n = 13) a 180 km route along rural roads (accompanied by a research assistant) and provided verbal risk ratings at thirteen locations of interest. A second group (Passengers, n = 10) provided ratings at the same points when travelling as a passenger in a vehicle (driven by a research assistant). The third group (Observers, n = 14) were shown videos of the same rural roads (filmed from the drivers’ perspective) and also provided risk ratings at the same locations. A week later participants were invited to the laboratory to review the video footage and comment on factors that contributed to the risk ratings. Overall, the Observers gave the highest risk ratings and Drivers the lowest. The Observers also provided twice the number of comments to justify their risk rating compared to the other two groups. The results suggest that control, and on-road experience play a significant role in how perceptions of driving risk are formed and the degree of risk experienced. These findings also bring into question the accuracy of using video-based tasks to assess drivers’ risk perception (and speed choice), particularly if the findings are used to inform on-road safety interventions.

How do drivers recall positive and negative driving events? A quantitative approach to analysing driving diaries

Whilst diary studies are often analysed in a qualitative manner, quantitative methods which analyse the percentage of different types of language used in diary entries, now exist. From a driving perspective, this could arguably tell us more about the underlying psychological processes occurring when drivers reflect on their on-road experiences. As part of a larger project, the current study used a quantitative method of language analysis, known as word count analysis, to compare driver diaries in which positive and negative driving events were reflected upon. Results suggested that when describing positive events, drivers discuss them with more elaborate and descriptive language and focus on certainty and goal-driven processes. Negative events, however, had more of a social focus as indicated by an increased use of function words. These findings provide insights into the ways in which positive and negative driving events may be appraised. Additionally, drivers used more words indicating control and reward when describing positive driving events; this is discussed in consideration of how word count analyses can provide further insight into psychological process associated with emotion, such as appraisals.

Changes in Trust after Driving Level 2 Automated Cars

Overtrust and undertrust are major issues with partially automated vehicles. Ideally, trust should be calibrated ensuring that drivers’ subjective feelings of safety match the objective reliability of the vehicle. In the present study, we examined if drivers’ trust toward Level 2 cars changed after on-road experience. Drivers’ self-reported trust was assessed three times: before having experience with these vehicles, immediately after driving two types of vehicles, and two weeks after the driving experience. Analysis of the results showed major changes in trust scores after the on-road driving experience. Before experiencing the vehicles, participants tended to overestimate the vehicle capabilities. Afterwards they had a better understanding of vehicles’ limitations, resulting in better calibrated trust.

Learning about advanced driver assistance systems – The case of ACC and FCW in a sample of Czech drivers

The present study aims to explore what kind of information users of two advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have about the systems, how they acquired it, and which methods they would prefer for learning about the systems’ capabilities and limitations. Data was collected within the scope of a broader ADAS user experience study using in-depth interviews. Answers from 38 Czech owners of cars with Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that most owners do not read the user’s manual and rely on their own trial-and-error on-road experience or information from the car dealership. Thereby, information about the limitations of the systems might not be known to them beforehand and could lead to surprises when these are experienced in real traffic. Therefore, prior education about the functions, control, and limitations of FCW and ACC is advised.

Perceptions of cycling among high school students and their parents

ABSTRACTCycling is a healthy, low-cost, and low-carbon alternative to motorized transport. As a relatively fast active mode of transport, cycling can overcome the distance barrier of walking, while also providing cardiovascular exercise and reducing demand for motor vehicle travel. The “cycling renaissance” has seen an increase in the number of cyclists in urban spaces, and there is evidence of increased investment in cycling infrastructure and cycle skills training in some places. Yet the number of high school students cycling to school is declining in many industrialized countries. Transport to school is a major contributor to daily traffic congestion, resulting in both local and global environmental concerns, and high school students have been relatively overlooked in research to date. In this paper, we present empirical material from a qualitative study of high school students and parents in Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. Focus group sessions were conducted during 2014 and 2015 with students and parents separately, to explore their perceptions of modes of transport and transport to school decision making. Key findings relate to perceived safety, implicit messages, and social norms. We find that a complex range of factors contribute to perceptions of cycling safety, including features and perceptions of the built environment, traffic safety (including behaviors of other road users), previous cycling experiences (including accidents), and adolescents' cycling skills and on-road experiences. Overcoming concerns through behavioral and cultural interventions coupled with upskilling and thoughtful infrastructure may present a pathway to increasing rates of cycling.

Long-lasting virtual motorcycle-riding trainer effectiveness

This work aimed to test the long-lasting effects of learning acquired with a virtual motorcycle-riding trainer as a tool to improve hazard perception. During the simulation, the rider can interact with other road actors and experience the most common potential accident situations in order to learn to modify his or her behavior to anticipate hazards and avoid crashes. We compared performance to the riding simulator of the two groups of participants: the experimental group, which was trained with the same simulator one year prior, and the control group that had not received any type of training with a riding or driving simulator. All of the participants had ridden a moped in the previous 12 months. The experimental group showed greater abilities to avoid accidents and recognize hazards in comparison to their performance observed a year before, whereas the performance of the control group was similar to that of the experimental group 1 year before in the first two sessions, and even better in the third. We interpreted this latter result as a consequence of their prior on-road experience. Also, the fact that the performance of the experimental group at the beginning of the follow-up is better than that recorded at the end of the training—1 year before—is in line with the idea of a transfer from the on-road experience to the simulator. The present data confirm our main expectation that the effectiveness of the riding training simulator on the ability to cope with potentially dangerous situations persists over time and provides additional evidence in favor of the idea that simulators may be considered useful tools for training the ability to detect and react to hazards, leading to an improvement of this higher-order cognitive skill that persists over time. Implications for the reciprocal influence of the training with the simulator and the on-the road experience are discussed as well.

The on-road experiences and awareness of sleepiness in a sample of Australian highway drivers: A roadside driver sleepiness study

ABSTRACTObjective: Driver sleepiness contributes substantially to road crash incidents. Simulator and on-road studies clearly reveal an impairing effect from sleepiness on driving ability. However, the degree to which drivers appreciate the dangerousness of driving while sleepy is somewhat unclear. This study sought to determine drivers' on-road experiences of sleepiness, their prior sleep habits, and personal awareness of the signs of sleepiness.Methods: Participants were a random selection of 92 drivers traveling on a major highway in the state of Queensland, Australia, who were stopped by police as part of routine drink driving operations. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included demographic information, sleepy driving experiences (signs of sleepiness and on-road experiences of sleepiness), and prior sleep habits. A modified version of the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to assess subjective sleepiness in the 15 min prior to being stopped by police.Results: Participants' ratings of subjective sleepiness were quite low, with 90% reporting being alert to extremely alert on the KSS. Participants were reasonably aware of the signs of sleepiness, with many signs of sleepiness associated with on-road experiences of sleepiness. Additionally, the number of hours spent driving was positively correlated with the drivers' level of sleep debt.Conclusions: The results suggest that participants had moderate experiences of driving while sleepy and many were aware of the signs of sleepiness. The relationship between driving long distances and increased sleep debt is a concern for road safety. Increased education regarding the dangers of sleepy driving seems warranted.

Graduates welcome on-road: A culture shift in ambulance preceptorship made clear through retrospective analysis

A cultural shift in ambulance services has improved the experience of university- educated paramedics going on-road for the first time in New South Wales. In the “bad old days”, graduate paramedics reported routine rites of initiation, including barbed humour and contempt for skills gained in a university setting. Those educated in the on-road vocational system believed universities did not provide a tough enough environment for future paramedics. In this study, data were drawn from two projects involving university-educated paramedics who graduated between 1996 and 2011 and whose novice on-road experiences were several years apart. Comparative retrospective analysis of data provided evidence of a change in attitude towards New South Wales graduates, with an increase in support and inclusion. Novices with greater confidence in their own capacity was evidence of an attitudinal shift. Engaged on-road preceptors who won the respect of the novice was evidence of an increase in support. Inclusion had been a painful issue for both early cohorts of graduates and industry. Failure to fit is associated with attrition. Early in their on-road practice, recent novices reported a sense of belonging. The authors suggest that the shift in attitude could be attributed, first, to a critical mass of graduates on-road, including increasing numbers with postgraduate qualifications, and secondly, the stated preference of ambulance services in Australia to employ graduates.

Physiological responses to simulated and on-road driving

Driving simulators have become an increasingly popular tool to study and assess drivers. Physiological measurements not only provide an important index of an individual's presence in the virtual environment, but they also permit us to compare simulated and on-road experiences. However, at this point, few studies examining the ecological validity of simulated driving have included physiological variables. In a first study, we embedded three surprising events into a typical simulated road circuit. The first event consisted of a car pulling out suddenly from the shoulder of the road, while the remaining two events consisted of a green traffic light changing to amber as the driver approached the intersection. We noted statistically significant elevations in the mean heart rate (MHR) response to virtual events of about 4 beats per minute (bpm) during the 15 s immediately following the events. In a second study, we directly compared heart rate, oxygen consumption (VO 2), and mean ventilation (MV E) responses to similar simulated and on-road drives. The change in physiological variables from baseline to driving was similar between simulated and on-road conditions, and a very strong correlation between simulated and on-road driving values for MV E (r = 0.90) was observed. MHR and maximum heart rate (HR max) were nonetheless significantly higher during on-road drives. These studies suggest that the level of immersion of a fixed base simulator is great enough to elicit presence, and achieve both relative and absolute validity for certain physiological parameters. Nonetheless, the absolute responses between virtual and real world experiences remain different. For both research and evaluation purposes, it is critical that we better understand the impact of the driver's perceived level of risk or difficulty during simulation on their driving behaviour and physiological responses.

Aberrant driving behaviors: A study of drivers in Beijing

The addition of massive numbers of new drivers with varied driving experience to roads in China suggests it is important to understand the nature of aberrant driving behaviors for this new set of drivers. A paper-based and an Internet survey were administered. Factor analysis produced a five-factor structure for each survey. The distinction between violations and errors indicated in previous studies was confirmed. The violations included emotional violations, risky violations and self-willed violations, and the errors included inexperience errors and distraction errors. In contrast to previous work, age was not found to be a good predictor of violations though driving experience was. Contrary to expectations, non-automotive (bicycle) roadway experience or level of driving training failed to predict poor driving behavior. On-road experience is the key to risk for China's drivers. Good agreement between the paper-based and Internet surveys indicate online surveys to be a feasible way to conduct research of driving behavior at low cost.

Training for Attentional Control in Novice Car Drivers: A Simulator Study

Novice drivers aged 18 to 25 are overrepresented in road accidents. This is partly due to an underdeveloped ability to control their attention. A driving simulator was used to enhance the attentional control skill of novice drivers, using Gopher's “variable priority” (VP) training technique. Three groups of novice drivers with varying on-road experience participated. Half the subjects in each group received VP training; the other half served as controls. All performed two tasks concurrently in the simulator, over 20 training trials. The VP group was instructed over trials to systematically vary the relative amount of attention given to each task. Control subjects were instructed to simply perform the two tasks as well as possible. After training, VP subjects performed significantly better than controls in a transfer of training drive in the simulator involving three sub-tasks, and this was particularly the case for those with greater driving experience. A follow-up experiment replicated and extended these findings.