Young Adult Drivers: Simulated Behaviour in a Car-following Situation

Rafał Jurecki
Kielce University of Technology Faculty of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering Department of Automotive Engineering and Transport

Miloš Poliak
University of Zilina Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications Department of Road and Urban Transport

Marek Jaśkiewicz

Abstract

This paper provides a description of driver testing in a simulator. As young drivers are more susceptible to collisions, this was done to determine how young drivers behaved in simulated road situations on a motorway. One of the traffic safety concerns is the failure to keep a proper distance from the vehicle in front, which may result in a rearend collision. The tests simulated car-following situations in which the preceding vehicle performed emergency braking. The experiments were conducted for two scenario variants using different distances from the vehicle in front. The drivers could perform the following emergency manoeuvres: braking with steering away or only braking. The driver response times were compared and analysed statistically. The results were used to determine the emergency manoeuvres performed by the drivers in the simulated road situations. The study reveals that the vehicle surroundings may have a considerable influence on the type of emergency manoeuvres and the driver response time.