DRIVERS' REACTIONS TO ROAD CONDITIONS. A PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL APPROACH

Sixty drivers, accustomed to a certain make of car, performed test drives along a test road. A digital tape recorder was used for real-time recording of drivers' physiological responses. Dynamic behaviour of the vehicle was also recorded, and traffic conditions were noted. Average responses were calculated for the test road and evaluated. Significant covariations were displayed, with physiological responses as dependent variables, and vehicle dynamic behaviour and road characteristics as independent variables. Results indicate that changes in some independent variables are less important than gross environmental changes. Vehicle variables provided a better explanation of physiological variables than did the road description. This illustrates the importance of dynamic factors. For highway sufficiency ratings of convenience and comfort, use of dynamic test car behaviour is probably more coherent than physical measures of road quality or direct recordings of physiological responses. /TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

  Department of Applied Mechanics/CHARMEC
  Gothenburg,   Sweden 
• Authors:
  • HELANDER, M
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Drivers; Driving; Dynamic loads; Handling characteristics; Highways; Motor reactions; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Psychophysics; Reaction time; Traffic; Vehicle characteristics
• Uncontrolled Terms: Characteristics; Driver reaction; Dynamic response
• Old TRIS Terms: Psychophysical methods
• ITRD Terms: 9001: Behaviour; 1772: Driver; 2755: Highway; 2062: Physiology; 5925: Properties; 2247: Reaction (human); 755: Traffic; 1646: Vehicle handling
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00142168
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Swedish National Road and Traffic Research Institute
• Report/Paper Numbers: Thesis
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 4 1977 12:00AM