Title: RISK PERCEPTION IN HIGHWAY DRIVING. FINAL REPORT
Abstract: This report describes research studies of risk perception in highway driving. The objectives of the project were to gain a better fundamental understanding of how people perceive driving risk and to identify situations where risk may be consistently underestimated, providing danger to the driver or others. As part of this work, practical methods for the meaningful assessment of driving risk perception, as well as for an objective measure of the actual hazard at a site, were to be developed. The study focused on the normal, non-impaired driving public. A sequence of four experimental studies was conducted, using both videotaped scenes and on-the-road methods. A method for obtaining a continuous quantitative measure of the perceived level of hazard was developed and evaluated; both the magnitude of perceived risk, and the temporal aspects of changes in perceived risk, would be assessed. Perceived risk was related to both the actual hazard value and to overt vehicle control aspects (speed). People's subjective experience of risk was found to be generally accurate, but there were also some general misperceptions. In particular there was an underappreciation of the risk at intersections, potential traffic conflict situations, and night driving. Some potential applications of the methods developed, and potential safety intervention strategies, were suggested.
Publication Year: 1988
Publication Date: 1988-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
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