A PC system for measuring driver behavior
A. Harmsen1, R. Wade Allen2, T.J. Rosenthal2, B.L. Aponso2 and S. Markham3
1A&A (Representing Systems Technology), Huizen, The Netherlands
2Systems Technology Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
3Valentine Technologies Ltd., Odiham, United Kingdom
This paper describes a low cost PC platform, including a driving simulation, that is designed to provide orientation, subject record keeping, training, performance measurement and evaluation of driver behavior. The system is based on standard PC technology, and can be run on laptop or desktop computers. At the heart of the platform is a driving simulator system that includes an easily programmable scenario definition language for designing driving courses and providing performance measurement.
The driving simulation and its application have been described at previous conferences. The simulator has now been added to a platform that allows for login and record keeping of subject data, the presentation of orientation and tutorial material, the training and measurement of driving behavior, and the assessment of driving performance. The orientation and tutorial material can be prepared and presented with Microsoft PowerPoint, giving the user a great deal of flexibility in presenting a variety of visual and auditory effects, including narration. Given appropriately designed driving scenarios, the simulator component of the platform can present cognitively complex situations involving hazards, pedestrians, traffic and signals. These scenarios require critical driving skills, including situation awareness, hazard perception, risk assessment and decision-making under time pressure.
The platform is designed to permit psychomotor and cognitive skills to be taught to novice drivers, and to provide a driving skill evaluation tool for more experienced drivers. Performance measurements include assessments of vehicle motions, driver control responses and relative motions with respect to other vehicles and pedestrians. Typical measures include accidents, violations, speed and lane deviations, time to collision, use of turn indicators, reaction time, etc.
The paper will include a description of the training and evaluation platform, and a summary of two current applications: one involving training novice driver skills, and the second concerning the evaluation of older driver skills.
Paper presented at Measuring Behavior 2002 , 4th International Conference on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research, 27-30 August 2002, Amsterdam, The Netherlands