STRESS RELATED TO DRIVING: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

This report is a continuation of work contained in tsu report 297 'driver stress in highway appraisal' (see IRRD no 288107). In section one, theoretical and historical aspects of stress are considered. Potential stressors are defined as: (1) driver task related stress, caused by situations on the road, and (2) transport task related stress, linked to time constraints for the journey being undertaken. In the second section, studies relating various psychophysiological variables to driving tasks and traffic situations are reviewed. These variables include, measurement of heart rate and heart rate variability, skin resistance and urinary catecholamine excretion, as well as psychological measures utilizing mood adjective check lists or stress arousal check lists. Section three describes a survey on the use of driving related stress in the framework of road design and appraisal overseas. Section four describes experimental work undertaken in oxford. In two experiments, using twelve subjects, the effect of different classes of road upon the heart rate of drivers is measured, using a sport tester heart rate meter, in conjunction with the psychophysiological measures. The final section considers the implications of this research, and a need for an integrated approach to this work is indicated.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Oxford

  Transport Studies Unit, 11 Bevington Road
  Oxford,   United Kingdom  OX2 6NB
• Authors:
  • ROBERTSON, S A
• Publication Date: 1988-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 135 p.
• Serial:
  • TSU Report
  • Issue Number: 420
  • Publisher: University of Oxford

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Drivers; Electrocardiography; Heart; Highway design; Measurement; Motor reactions; Physiology; Psychology; Skin; Stress (Psychology); Tests
• ITRD Terms: 9001: Behaviour; 1772: Driver; 2121: Electrocardiography; 2037: Heart; 2855: Highway design; 6136: Measurement; 2062: Physiology; 2255: Psychology; 2247: Reaction (human); 2048: Skin; 2234: Stress (psychol); 6255: Test
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00498651
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1990 12:00AM