Analysis of Naturalistic Driving Study Data: Safer Glances, Driver Inattention, and Crash Risk

The Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP 2) Naturalistic Driving Study can provide the data that are needed to provide inattention performance measures associated with precrash situations. This report summarizes research to determine the relationship between driver inattention and crash risk in lead-vehicle precrash scenarios (corresponding to rear-end crashes). It develops inattention-risk relationships, describing how an increase in inattention performance variables combines with context in lead-vehicle precrash scenarios to increase risk. The inattention-risk relationships are intended to show which glance behaviors are safer than others and pinpoint the most dangerous glances away from the road. A glance is the time from the moment the eyes move toward an area of interest (such as the radio, rearview mirror, or forward path) to the moment they move away from it. The results aim to (1) support distraction policy, regulation, and guidelines; (2) improve intelligent vehicle safety systems; and (3) teach safe glance behaviors. In line with previous naturalistic driving studies, the results show that some activity types significantly increase risk (such as texting and the aggregate category of portable electronics visual-manual). However, for talking/listening on cell phone, a strong significant decrease in risk was found. Notably, there were no crashes while talking/listening on the phone. Three types of glance metrics showed the largest odds ratios: (1) the proportion of time the eyes were off path between 3 seconds and 1 second before the crash or minimum time to collision, (2) mean duration of off-path glances, and (3) the mean value of a composite measure estimating the driver’s uncertainty of the driving situation. However, it was when these three-glance metrics were combined in a model that they were most predictive of crashes and near crashes. Analyses of the timing of off-path glances with lead-vehicle closing kinematics and visual cues revealed a distinct mechanism behind most of the crashes that can be understood in terms of a “perfect mismatch” between last glance duration and the change rate of the lead vehicle closing. Implications for countermeasures are discussed.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/171327.aspx
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/171327.aspx
• Authors:
  • Victor, Trent
  • Dozza, Marco
  • Bärgman, Jonas
  • Boda, Christian-Nils
  • Engström, Johan
  • Flannagan, Carol
  • Lee, John D
  • Markkula, Gustav
• Publication Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Glossary; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 138p
• Serial:
  • SHRP 2 Report
  • Issue Number: Report S2-S08A-RW-1
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attention; Automatic data collection systems; Car following; Crash risk forecasting; Distraction; Drivers; Eye movements; Kinematics; Performance measurement; Rear end crashes
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01537720
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309274234
• Report/Paper Numbers: SHRP 2 Report S2-S08A-RW-1
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Sep 17 2014 1:55PM