A NIGHT-DRIVING SIMULATOR FOR DRIVER-SOMNOLENCE STUDIES

AN APPARATUS NEWLY-DEVELOPED FOR ROAD SAFETY RESEARCH IS DESCRIBED. VISUAL (AND AURAL) SIMULATION IS PROVIDED OF THE MONOTONOUS TASK OF FOLLOWING (THE SILHOUETTE OF) A CAR AHEAD, IN COMPLETE DARKNESS EXCEPT FOR THE FOLLOWING CAR'S OWN LIGHTS AND THOSE OF THE CAR AHEAD, WHILE THE LATTER PURSUES A SINUOUS COURSE OVER AN INFINITE SMOOTH TEXTURED SURFACE. A "MOVING ROAD" IS SIMULATED AS DEVISED BY G.G. DENTON; THE PRESENT APPARATUS ALSO INCLUDES MECHANISMS FOR VARYING THE DIRECTIONS (A) OF THE RELATIVE-VELOCITY OF THE SIMULATED ROAD-SURFACE, AND (B) OF THE BEARING AT WHICH THE SIMULATED CAR AHEAD IS SEEN. A PRELIMINARY QUANTITATIVE STUDY IS BEING UNDERTAKEN OF THE DETERIORATING PERFORMANCE, IN THIS TRACKING TASK, OF SUBJECTS EXERCISED FOR PERIODS OF APPROXIMATELY 1 HR SOME EVIDENCE OF THE ONSET OF SOMNOLENCE HAS BEEN FOUND.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of New South Wales

  Gate 9, High Street
  Kensington, New South Wales  Australia  2052
• Authors:
  • Milner, C J
  • Bolin, J W
• Publication Date: 1973-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: 9 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aptitude; Drivers; Driving; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Following distance; Headlamps; Highway safety; Night; Simulation; Sleep; Surface course (Pavements); Texture
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• Old TRIS Terms: Following distance (Of vehicles)
• ITRD Terms: 8006: Australia; 1855: Driving (veh); 2226: Driving aptitude; 2222: Fatigue (human); 9052: Night; 9103: Simulation
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00080895
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: Conf Paper
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 6 1975 12:00AM