The Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety's (LMRIS) Experimental Vehicle

Overview

• Introduction
• Pilot Study Overview

Introduction

Requirements

	Able to capture the primary driving task and additional tasks
	Easy to add new technologies
	Usable for older subjects
	Not restricting the subject
	Usable for experiments on the test track and on the road
	Data synchronisation (performance, physiological and subjective data)

Purpose of the Components

• Driver Performance
• Experimental Control
• Safety Feature

Driving Activity Parameters

Driving track

Pilot Study Overview

Purpose

• Determine the utility and sensitivity of selected eye movement parameters as indicators of distracted and impaired driving
• Test vehicle instrumentation and experimental procedure

Driving Tasks

• Driving task “Safe”
  ”Drive around the track clockwise in the right hand lane at a safe speed, but not faster than 30 mph.”
• Driving task “15 mph”
  ”Drive around the track clockwise in the right hand lane maintaining a speed of 15 mph as accurately as possible.”
• Driving task “Clock”
  ”Drive around the track clockwise in the right hand lane at a safe speed, pass the red/green clocks ONLY while the hand is in the bottom green half. You should try not to stop to wait for green, but rather slow down or speed up to meet green.”

  Do not pass	Pass

Driving Track Set-Up

Distraction Task

• No distraction
• Visually presented serial addition task with verbal response
• Auditory presented serial addition task (PASAT) with verbal response

Conditions

• Nine different conditions:
• 3 levels of driving task
• 3 levels of distraction task
• 2 minutes per condition
• 5 repetitions per condition
• Experimental duration: approx. 4 h
• Training session (approx. 90 min)
• 3 blocks of approx. 35 min. + breaks
• Plus an approx. 90 min screening (on a day prior to the actual experiment)

Subjects

• Young drivers: 18 to 24 years
• Middle aged drivers: 25 to 40 years
• Older drivers: 65 years and older
• Requirements:
• Valid Massachusetts drivers license
• Currently driving on a regular basis
• Not driving for a living
• Normal or corrected to normal (at least 20/40) vision

Variables

• Eye movement parameters
• Vehicle parameters (driving performance)
• Performance on distraction task
• Perceived workload (NASA TLX)