SPEED-CHANGE RATES OF PASSENGER VEHICLES

THREE TYPES OF SPEED-CHANGE RATES REPRESENTATIVE OF NORMAL HIGHWAY USAGE WERE DETERMINED BY A SERIES OF TRIAL RUNS ON SIX MODERN PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE THREE TYPES WERE: (1) NORMAL ACCELERATION REPRESENTING PICKUP UNDER THE NORMAL OR UNHURRIED CONTROL OF TYPICAL DRIVERS, (2) FULL ACCELERATION REPRESENTING THE MAXIMUM PICKUP MECHANICALLY POSSIBLE UNDER CONTROL OF TYPICAL DRIVERS, AND (3) MOTOR DECELERATION REPRESENTING THE SLOWING DOWN OF VEHICLES GOVERNED ONLY BY RETARDATION OF THE MOTOR, WITH THROTTLE RELEASED AND WITHOUT BRAKE APPLICATION. TIME DATA WERE OBTAINED FOR SPEEDOMETER READINGS UP TO 70 MPH. THE SUMMARY OF ACCELERATION RATES INCLUDES GEAR SHIFTING MANIPULATIONS. THE INFORMATION OBTAINED FOR EACH OF THE THREE TYPES OF SPEED CHANGE IS PRESENTED IN FORM OF CHARTS FROM WHICH THE TIME, DISTANCE, OR OVERALL RATE CAN BE READ DIRECTLY IN TERMS OF THE UPPER AND LOWER VALUES OF SPEED RANGES UP TO 70 MPH. THE DATA HEREIN ARE COMPARED BRIEFLY WITH RECENT SIMILAR STUDIES BY TWO OTHER INVESTIGATORS. WHILE THE RESULTS OBTAINED ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY MORE EXTENSIVE TESTS, PARTICULARLY FOR THE EXTREMES OF THE SPEED RANGE TESTEE, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THEY MAY BE USED AS A GUIDE FOR PRESENT FACTORS IN HIGHWAY DESIGN. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/18/18Part1-006.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 18, Pt 1, PP 90-99, 13 FIG, 1 TAB; part of Report of Department of Design. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Loutzenheiser, D W
  • Greenshields, B D
  • BUCHANAN, J A
• Publication Date: 1939

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: pp 90-99
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board Held at Washington, D.C. November 28-December 2, 1938. Part I
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 18
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceleration (Mechanics); Automobiles; Deceleration; Speed; Speed change lanes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Change
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223311
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 1 1971 12:00AM