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Assessment of a Drowsy Driver Warning System for Heavy Vehicle Drivers: Final Report
Olson, Rebecca Lynn; Morgan, Justin F.; Hanowski, Richard J.; Daily, Brian; Zimmermann, Richard P.; Blanco, Myra; Bocanegra, Joseph L.; Fitch, Gregory M.; Flintsch, Alejandra Medina (United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008)
Drowsiness has a globally negative impact on performance, slowing reaction time, decreasing situational awareness, and impairing judgment. A field operational test of an early prototype Drowsy Driver Warning System was conducted as a result of 12 years of field and laboratory studies by the National Highway Traffic Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This project included Control and Test groups. The final data set for the analysis consisted of 102 drivers from 3 for-hire trucking fleets using 46 instrumented trucks. Fifty-seven drivers were line-haul and 45 were long-haul operators. The data set contained nearly 12.4 terabytes of truck instrumentation data, kinematic data, and video recordings for 2.4 million miles of driving and 48,000 driving-data hours recorded, resulting in the largest data set ever collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In this study, 53 research questions were addressed related to safety benefits, acceptance, and deployment. Novel data reduction procedures and data analyses were used. Results showed that drivers in the Test Group were less drowsy. Drivers with favoring opinions of the system tended to have an increase in safety benefits. Results of the assessment revealed that the early prototype device had an overall positive impact on driver safety.
The Drowsy Driver Warning System Field Operational Test: Data Collection Methods: Final Report
Hanowski, Richard J.; Blanco, Myra; Nakata, Akiko; Hickman, Jeffrey S.; Schaudt, William A.; Fumero, Maria C.; Olson, Rebecca Lynn; Jermeland, Julie; Greening, Michael; Holbrook, G. Thomas; Knipling, Ronald R.; Madison, Phillip (United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008-09)
A Drowsy Driver Warning System (DDWS) detects physiological and/or performance indications of driver drowsiness and provides feedback to drivers regarding their state. The primary function of a DDWS is to provide information that will alert drivers to their drowsy state and motivate them to seek rest or take other corrective steps to increase alertness. The system tested in this study was the Driver Fatigue Monitor (DFM) developed by Attention Technologies, Inc., which estimates PERCLOS (percent eye closure). The primary goal of this field operational test (FOT) was to determine the safety benefits and operational capabilities, limitations, and characteristics of the DFM. The FOT was conducted in a naturalistic driving environment and data were collected from actual truck drivers driving commercial trucks. During the course of the study, 46 trucks were instrumented with a Data Acquisition System (DAS). Over 100 data variables such as the PERCLOS output from the DFM and driving performance data (e.g., lane position, speed, and longitudinal acceleration) were collected. Other collected measures included video, actigraphy, and questionnaires. The FOT had 103 drivers participate. Drivers were randomly assigned to either control (24 drivers) or experimental groups (79 drivers). The data collected include the following: approximately 46,000 driving-data hours; 397 load history files from 103 drivers; approximately 195,000 hours of activity/sleep data; questionnaires from all drivers; fleet management surveys from each company; and focus group results collected from 14 drivers during two post-study focus group sessions. The focus of this report is the description of the data collection procedures.
Enhanced Camera/Video Imaging Systems (E-C/VISs) for Heavy Vehicles
Wierwille, Walter W.; Bowman, Darrell Scott; Alden, Andrew S.; Gibbons, Ronald B.; Hanowski, Richard J.; Blanco, Myra; Leeson, B.; Hickman, Jeffrey S. (United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011-06)
Tests were performed to determine the feasibility of developing an Enhanced Camera/Video Imaging System (Enhanced C/VIS or E-C/VIS) to provide heavy-vehicle drivers with better situation awareness to the sides and rear of their vehicles. It is well known that large blind spots currently exist in these areas and that sideswipe crashes can occur as a result. An additional goal was to extend the operating envelope of conventional video to nighttime and to inclement weather. A three-channel system was envisioned in which there would be a camera at each (front) fender of the tractor looking backward along the sides of the rig. The third channel would be aimed rearward from the back of the trailer. The current document describes the project results. Indoor tests involved selection of components having the best capabilities, while early outdoor tests used the selected components in a single-channel side mounted system. Subjects evaluated rain and dark conditions. Results were satisfactory. Once developed, the three-channel system was tested and found to work well in the nighttime and inclement weather environments. Street lighting was also included in the testing.
Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume I: Executive Summary
Hankey, Jonathan M.; Blanco, Myra; Gibbons, Ronald B.; McLaughlin, Shane B.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
This volume, an executive summary of the Enhanced Night Visibility project, is the first of 18 volumes that report on the project's evaluation of the merit of implementing supplemental ultraviolet headlamps, supplemental infrared systems, and other vision enhancement systems (VESs) to enhance drivers' nighttime roadway safety. The entire project evaluated 18 VESs in terms of their ability to provide object detection and recognition. Objects included scenarios with pedestrians standing or walking in different locations on the roadway. Pedestrians were dressed in black, white, or blue clothing to produce varying levels of contrast with their surroundings. Detection and recognition testing took place in clear weather, rain, snow, and fog conditions. Project research also evaluated a subset of the VESs for their effect on drivers' disability and discomfort glare. The VESs were also tested for their value in facilitating drivers' detection of pavement markings and other traffic control devices. The results indicated that supplemental ultraviolet headlamps do not provide sufficient benefit to justify further testing; however, supplemental infrared vision enhancement systems do offer an improvement over headlamps alone for detection of pedestrians. Near infrared systems have the potential to provide an added benefit in detecting pedestrians in inclement weather, but the implementation of NIR technology is the key to achieving this benefit.
Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume II: Overview of Phase I and Development of Phase II Experimental Plan
Dingus, Thomas A.; Allen, Gary R.; Brich, Stephen C.; Neale, Vicki L.; Schroeder, Aaron D.; Blanco, Myra; Schnell, Thomas; Gillespie, James S.; Schroeder, Tracey T.; Simmons, Carole J.; Hankey, Jonathan M. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
The focus of the Phase I effort was on the establishment of performance and design objectives to facilitate the deployment of ultraviolet A (UV-A) headlamps. This report describes the plan to develop UV-A headlamp specifications, evaluate fluorescent infrastructure materials, quantify glare and photobiological risks, expand the cost/benefit analysis, and demonstrate and implement the UV-A technology. It also includes a literature review that was conducted before the Phase II studies. As is often the case in large projects, some of the planned work eventually changed or was replaced to address more pressing issues. The later volumes of this report series detail what research occurred and why.
Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume III: Phase II - Study 1: Visual Performance During Nighttime Driving in Clear Weather
Blanco, Myra; Hankey, Jonathan M.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
Phase II-- Study 1 was performed as a stepping stone to expand the knowledge of how different vision enhancement systems can affect detection and recognition of different types of objects. The empirical testing for this study was performed on the Smart Road testing facility during clear weather conditions. A total of 30 participants were involved in the study. A 12 by 9 by 3 mixed-factorial design was used to investigate the effects of different types of vision enhancement systems, types of objects on the roadway, and driver's age on detection and recognition distances; subjective evaluations were obtained for the different systems as well. The results of the empirical testing suggest that no vision enhancement system consistently performs best in clear weather conditions. However, the halogen headlamp tested (low-beam configuration) consistently provided one of the longest detection and recognition distances, and even when other systems provided farther detection distances, these distances were generally not significantly different from halogen low beam. The only exception was the infrared thermal imaging system tested, which resulted in significantly farther detection distances for pedestrians and cyclists wearing dark-colored (low-contrast) clothing.
Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume IV: Phase II - Study 2: Visual Performance During Nighttime Driving in Rain
Blanco, Myra; Hankey, Jonathan M.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
Phase II, Study 2 (rainy weather) was performed following the same procedures used for Study 1 (clear weather). Study 2 helped expand the knowledge of how current vision enhancement systems can affect detection and recognition of different types of objects while driving during adverse weather, specifically during rain conditions. The empirical testing for this study was performed on the Virginia Smart Road; the rain was controlled by weather making equipment. Thirty participants were involved in the study. A 12 by 7 by 3 mixed factorial design was used to investigate the effects of different types of vision enhancement systems, different types of objects on the roadway, and driver's age on detection and recognition distances; subjective evaluations also were obtained for the different vision enhancement systems. The results of the empirical testing suggest that vision enhancement systems that include halogen headlamps as their main component (i.e., halogen alone or halogen with ultraviolet A) consistently allow drivers the best detections during rain conditions. In fact, the halogen headlamp (low-beam configuration) provides the longest detection and recognition distances overall; in the few trials where other systems allow farther detection distances, these differences did not represent meaningful improvements. Even drivers using the infrared thermal imaging system, which resulted in farther detection distances for pedestrians and cyclists under clear conditions, perform no differently in the rain than when only the low beams of the vehicle were used.
Enhanced Night Visibility Series, Volume XII: Overview of Phase II and Development of Phase III Experimental Plan
Hankey, Jonathan M.; Blanco, Myra; Neurauter, Michael L.; Gibbons, Ronald B.; Porter, Richard J.; Dingus, Thomas A. (United States. Federal Highway Administration, 2005-12)
This volume provides an overview of the six studies that compose Phase II of the Enhanced Night Visibility project and the experimental plan for its third and final portion, Phase III. The Phase II studies evaluated up to 12 vision enhancement systems in terms of drivers' ability to detect and recognize objects, visibility of pavement markings, and discomfort caused by glare from oncoming headlamps. Drivers' ability to detect and recognize objects was assessed in clear, rain, fog, and snow conditions. The results indicated that supplemental ultraviolet headlamps do not provide sufficient benefit to justify further testing. The performance of supplemental infrared (IR) vision enhancement systems, on the other hand, was robust enough to suggest further investigation. As a result, additional IR testing, disability glare testing, and off-axis object detection on the Virginia Smart Road were proposed as a replacement for public road Phase III testing with UV-A. The details of the experimental plan for each of these testing areas are provided in the Phase III portion of this report.
Human Factors Evaluation of Level 2 and Level 3 Automated Driving Concepts: Concepts of Operation
Marinik, Andrew; Bishop, Richard; Fitchett, Vikki L.; Morgan, Justin F.; Trimble, Tammy E.; Blanco, Myra (United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014-07)
The Concepts of Operation document evaluates the functional framework of operations for Level 2 and Level 3 automated vehicle systems. This is done by defining the varying levels of automation, the operator vehicle interactions, and system components; and further, by assessing the automation relevant parameters from a scenario-based analysis stand-point. Specific to the “Human Factors Evaluation of Level 2 and Level 3 Automated Driving Concepts" research effort, scenarios and literature are used to identify the range of near- to mid-term production-intent systems such that follow-on research topics with highest impact potential can be identified through commonalities in operational concepts.
Human Factors Evaluation of Level 2 and Level 3 Automated Driving Concepts: Past Research, State of Automation Technology, and Emerging System Concepts
Trimble, Tammy E.; Bishop, Richard; Morgan, Justin F.; Blanco, Myra (United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014-07)
Within the context of automation Levels 2 and 3, this report documents the proceedings from a literature review of key human factors studies that was performed related to automated vehicle operations. This document expands and updates the results from a prior literature review that was performed for the US DOT. Content within this document reflects the latest research and OEM activity as of June 2013. Studies both directly addressing automated driving, and those relevant to automated driving concepts have been included. Additionally, documents beyond the academic literature, such as articles, summaries, and presentations from original equipment manufacturers and suppliers, have been researched. Information from both United States and international projects and researchers is included. This document also identifies automated-driving relevant databases in support of future research efforts.
Human Performance Evaluation of Light Vehicle Brake Assist Systems
Fitch, Gregory M.; Blanco, Myra; Morgan, Justin F.; Rice, Jeanne C.; Wharton, Amy E.; Wierwille, Walter W.; Hanowski, Richard J. (United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010-04)
The Brake Assist System (BAS) is a safety feature that supplements drivers' inadequate braking force during panic braking maneuvers upon the detection of a rapid brake pedal application. This report presents an evaluation of drivers' panic braking performance using BAS. Two vehicles with electronic BASs were selected: a 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 and a 2007 Volvo S80. Sixty-four participants, balanced for age and gender, drove one of the instrumented vehicles at 45 mph and stopped at an unexpected barricade. Following debriefing, drivers performed another braking maneuver at the barricade, were shown how to perform a hard stop, and performed hard-braking maneuvers in which BAS was either enabled or disabled. Twenty-eight percent of drivers activated BAS subsequent to the demonstration. In the most conservative analysis, where the effect of BAS activation was isolated from driver panic-braking variability, it was found that BAS-active stopping distances were on average 1.43 ft (s.e. = 1.19 ft) shorter than BAS-disabled stopping distances. Yet, two drivers, who differed in age, sex, and vehicle driven, exhibited reductions in stopping distance exceeding 10 ft. Overall, the as-tested BAS has potential safety benefit that could be accrued from reduced stopping distance, but were not realized in this evaluation. Moreover, BAS implementations that do not completely rely on the driver may offer greater safety benefits.
The Impact of Driving, Non-driving Work, and Rest Breaks on Driving Performance in Commercial Vehicle Operations
Blanco, Myra; Hanowski, Richard J.; Olson, Rebecca Lynn; Morgan, Justin F.; Soccolich, Susan A.; Wu, Shih-Ching (United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2011-05)
Current hours-of-service (HOS) regulations prescribe limits to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers' operating hours. Besides assessing activities performed in the 14-hour workday, the relationship between safety-critical events (SCEs) and driving hours, work hours, and breaks was investigated. The data used in the analyses were collected in the Naturalistic Truck Driving Study and included 97 drivers and about 735,000 miles of continuous driving data. The assessment of the drivers' workday determined that, on average, drivers spent 66 percent of their shift driving, 23 percent in non-driving work, and 11 percent resting. Analyses on driving hours (i.e., driving only) and SCE risk found a time-on-task effect across hours. Analyses on work hours (i.e., driving in addition to non-driving work) found that risk of being involved in an SCE increased as work hours increased. This suggests that time-on-task effects may not be related to driving hours alone, but implies an interaction between driving hours and work hours: if a driver begins the day with several hours of non-driving work, followed by driving that goes deep into the 14- hour workday, SCE risk was found to increase. The finding from the workday characterization that drivers spent approximately 23 percent of their workday performing non-driving work provides a possible explanation for this time-on-task effect across work hours. Breaks from driving were found to be beneficial in reducing SCEs (during 1- hour window after a break) and were effective to counteract the negative effects of time-on-task.
Synthesis Study of Light Vehicle Non-planar Mirror Research
Morgan, Justin F.; Blanco, Myra (United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010-05)
Due to the requirement for a planar rearview mirror on the driver side of light vehicles, and drivers' typical aiming of rearview mirrors, a large blind spot is adjacent to the car. This blind spot can conceal a vehicle, which may increase the risk of lane-change collisions. Non-planar rearview mirrors present the driver with a greater field of view; however, they also provide a minified image. Laboratory and stationary-driver testing have consistently shown that non-planar mirrors are associated with overestimations in distance and speed. However, there is less consistency in findings for on-road testing, as the magnitude and practical effect of overestimation varies. Likewise, lane-change crash rates in Europe do not appear to be affected by non-planar mirror use. The ability of drivers to detect and react to an object is aided by nonplanar mirrors. This, and the interior planar rearview mirror, may offset overestimation and the effect of smaller accepted gaps. Additional research is needed to determine the effect of non-planar rearview mirrors on crash rates and driver acceptance, as well as the possibility of different configurations, of non-planar mirrors within the United States.

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