Feasibility of Studying Driver Reaction to Sudden Pedestrian Emergencies in an Automobile Simulator

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the feasibility of studying driver reaction to sudden pedestrian emergencies in an unprogrammed automobile simulator. A random sample of 11 male subjects followed an identical procedure. Each subject went through a speed estimation study which was designed so that the subject would drive past the shed containing the pedestrian (dummy) 11 times. This was done so that the emergence of the pedestrian would be completely unsuspected. The subject drove in the right lane of the road at approximately 25 mph. When the subject was 82.5 ft. from the shed containing the pedestrian, a microswitch was tripped which released the dummy into the center of the road at a controlled rate. During the study a continuous record of speed, time, brake position, steering wheel position, lateral position of vehicle, longitudinal position of vehicle, and position of pedestrian was recorded. All of the subjects tried to avoid the pedestrian, either by brake application or by a steering change. Since this was a feasibility study with a small sample, no conclusions were drawn beyond the data, but the possibility of productive research in this area using simulation techniques seems to have been opened up.