The goal of this Texas Department of Transportation project was to gain a better understanding of driver performance at high speeds. Specific efforts included the following studies: (1) The Closed-Course Pilot Study consisted of observing and recording the activities and actions of a series of drivers following a lead vehicle going either 60 or 85 mph. (2) The Open-Road Pilot Study recorded participants driving between Odessa and Pecos, Texas, within 70- and 80-mph sections. (3) The Simulator Pilot Study determined driver reactions to a looming vehicle (both passenger car and large truck) and also generated directions for how to conduct the Phase II simulator study. (4) The Simulator Phase II Study collected brake reaction to a vehicle looming in the drivers view for 50 participants. Conditions varied included initial speed, lead vehicle type, lead vehicle deceleration rate, and workload level. (5) The Following Distance Study used data from traffic counters to identify speed and axle gap data on freeways with 60-, 70-, and 80-mph posted speed limits. (6) The Gaps at Passing Study measured gaps during passing maneuvers for daylight conditions on freeway sections. When responding to a vehicle slowing in their lane, drivers in the Simulator Phase II Study at the 85-mph speed had a reaction time that was statistically longer than that of drivers at the 60-mph speed. In the simulator, on-road, and test track studies where researchers directly measured driver performance, performance declined when a driver was multitasking at the higher speed. The traffic counter data showed that axle clearance distance was larger for the 80-mph freeway sites as compared to the 60- and 70-mph speed limit sites, both statistically and practically. The Gaps at Passing Study found a different result; drivers used similar passing gap distances on both 70- and 80-mph sections.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Driver Workload at Higher Speeds


    Contributors:
    K. Fitzpatrick (author) / S. Chrysler (author) / E. S. Park (author) / A. Nelson (author) / J. Robertson (author)

    Publication date :

    2010


    Size :

    214 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Driver workload monitoring

    Mayser, C. / Piechulla, W. / Weiss, K.E. et al. | Tema Archive | 2003


    Vehicle driver workload management

    DEVINDER SINGH KOCHHAR / YI MURPHEY | European Patent Office | 2019

    Free access

    Qualitative Standard of Driver Workload

    Hu, Jiang-bi / Yang, Yang | ASCE | 2011


    Heavy Truck Driver Workload Investigation

    Pawlowski, Ryan | Tema Archive | 2014


    Vehicle driver monitoring system for determining driver workload

    WACQUANT SYLVIE | European Patent Office | 2023

    Free access