Forward collision warning requirements project, final report -- tasks 2 and 3a, "surprise braking trials, time-to-collision judgments, and "first-look" maneuvers under realistic rear-end crash scenarios"

Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office2005PDFTech ReportKiefer, R. J.Cassar, M. T.Flannagan, C. A.Jerome, C. J.Palmer, M. D.Crash Avoidance Metrics PartnersUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesRear end collisionsBrakingCrash avoidance systemsDriver support systemsWarning systemsReaction timeSurprise braking trialsIntelligent vehicle initiativeResearch and developmentFatalities reductionCrash preventionIntelligent vehicleCollision warning/avoidance systemsDriver performance monitoringDriver vehicle interfaceAdvanced vehicle control and safety systems (AVCSS)DOT-HS-809-902NTIS-PB2005110424DTFH61-01-X-00014Final reportThis project continues to build upon the foundation provided by the human factors experimentation conducted in the previous Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system efforts. As in the previous CAMP FCW research, this work was conducted with a surrogate target, test-track methodology, which allows driver behavior to be observed under controlled, real approach, rear-end crash scenario conditions. The surrogate target, test-track methodology involves three vehicles\u2014a lead vehicle, a mock vehicle (or surrogate target vehicle), and a subject vehicle that is driven by the test participant. The real driving conditions created with the surrogate target, test track methodology are likely to increase the chance that the crash alert timing approach developed will generalize to real-world conditions. The major conclusions from this research are as follows: (1) Based on test driver intervention rates during surprise trials, the alert timing approach evaluated, coupled with a single-stage, dual-modality (auditory plus visual) FCW alert, was found to be robust, effective, and judged appropriate across the wide range of conditions evaluated; (2) The benefits of the FCW alert during surprise trials were restricted to tasks involving head-down glance activity and were not evident for the eyes-forward distraction tasks examined; (3) Results from the time-to-collision (TTC) and first look visual occlusion studies suggest that, provided the driver is looking toward the lead vehicle, the driver can quickly assess TTC and make the appropriate crash avoidance maneuver under the alert timing assumptions evaluated; (4) Across all the actual FCW alert or simulated FCW alert (via visual occlusion) conditions examined, there is generally a lack of both age and gender effects. This suggests that FCW alerts may be an effective means of equalizing a driver\u2019s abilities to avoid rear-end crashes. The \u201cfirst look\u201d method appears to be a valid, efficient, and promising method for exploring the consequences of later FCW alert timing (e.g., crash avoidance versus crash mitigation).119