Effects of a Night Vision Enhancement System (NVES) on Driving: Results from a Simulator Study

Three related experiments looked at the effects of an NVES on driving performance, with differences in image size ratio, lateral position and direct/indirect viewing as parameters. The experiments used experienced drivers in a fixed based virtual-reality driving simulator. Experiment 1 found that subjects using an NVES gained time to assess the situation and choose an appropriate response, which was seen in terms of better control of braking and swerving. Contrary to expectations, subjects did not drive significantly faster when using the NVES. Experiment 2 found that a 1:2 display ratio resulted in better anticipatory control without any adverse effects from differences in recognition distances. When using an NVES display displaced laterally from the normal line of sight, drivers kept the vehicle closer to the middle of the road. They also found the displaced position less favourable than one in the normal line of sight, although there were no strong negative effects of a the displacement. Experiment 3 compared a virtual (collimated) display to a direct viewing Flat Panel, with the hypothesis that reduced need of accommodation would lead to smoother driving. The results showed some differences between the two display types, although they were small compared to the effects of learning. Altogether the experiments confirmed that an NVES leads to an indisputable improvement in the drivers’ anticipatory control, and hence has considerable safety potential. This work has also emphasised the need to consider the combined effects of an NVES as a system on driving, rather than to do classical controlled experiments

Effects of a Night Vision Enhancement System (NVES) on Driving: Results from a Simulator Study

Three related experiments looked at the effects of an NVES on driving performance, with differences in image size ratio, lateral position and direct/indirect viewing as parameters. The experiments used experienced drivers in a fixed based virtual-reality driving simulator. Experiment 1 found that subjects using an NVES gained time to assess the situation and choose an appropriate response, which was seen in terms of better control of braking and swerving. Contrary to expectations, subjects did not drive significantly faster when using the NVES. Experiment 2 found that a 1:2 display ratio resulted in better anticipatory control without any adverse effects from differences in recognition distances. When using an NVES display displaced laterally from the normal line of sight, drivers kept the vehicle closer to the middle of the road. They also found the displaced position less favourable than one in the normal line of sight, although there were no strong negative effects of a the displacement. Experiment 3 compared a virtual (collimated) display to a direct viewing Flat Panel, with the hypothesis that reduced need of accommodation would lead to smoother driving. The results showed some differences between the two display types, although they were small compared to the effects of learning. Altogether the experiments confirmed that an NVES leads to an indisputable improvement in the drivers’ anticipatory control, and hence has considerable safety potential. This work has also emphasised the need to consider the combined effects of an NVES as a system on driving, rather than to do classical controlled experiments

Shouldn’t Cars React as Drivers Expect?

The objective of this project is to develop and test a multi-method empirical approach for predicting drivers’ assessments of the level of acceptability of a warning issued in response to accidents, near-accidents, and other incidents. The role of humans (drivers) in the pre-crash phase means that systems that protect occupants and pedestrians must be seen as distributed, cognitive systems. Driver acceptance therefore has to be an important design goal. One obstacle to acceptance is the human dislike for false alarms. An approach to overcoming driver dislike for false alarms is to focus on driver expectations and to design systems to issue alarms when and only when the driver is likely to accept them. In this paper we discuss one such approach

Experimental evidence for the field of safe travel

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1071181312561473Regression analysis of driver ratings of alerts issued by an in-vehicle active safety system during a field operational test identified contextual factors that influence driver acceptance of system alerts. A nominal characterization of pedestrian location and two quantitative measures of pedestrian motion predict more than 60% of the variability in driver ratings and do not interact. This finding is empirical support for the classic notion of the field of safe travel (Gibson & Crooks, 1938)

Assessing contextual factors that influence acceptance of pedestrian alerts by a night vision system

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018720812437411We investigated five contextual variables that we hypothesized would influence driver acceptance of alerts to pedestrians issued by a night vision active safety system to inform the specification of the system’s alerting strategies

infrared camera designed to meet both performance

the pedestrian protection directive using a long-wavelengt